P2X7 receptor activation awakes a dormant stem cell niche in the adult spinal cord.

The ependyma of the spinal cord is a latent stem cell niche that is reactivated by injury, generating new cells that migrate to the lesion site to limit the damage. The mechanisms by which ependymal cells are reactivated after injury remain poorly understood. ATP has been proposed to act as a diffusible "danger signal" to alert about damage and start repair.

The pathogenic role of c-Kit+ mast cells in the spinal motor neuron-vascular niche in ALS.

Degeneration of motor neurons, glial cell reactivity, and vascular alterations in the CNS are important neuropathological features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Immune cells trafficking from the blood also infiltrate the affected CNS parenchyma and contribute to neuroinflammation. Mast cells (MCs) are hematopoietic-derived immune cells whose precursors differentiate upon migration into tissues.

The ependymal cell cytoskeleton in the normal and injured spinal cord of mice.

The cytoskeleton of ependymal cells is fundamental to organize and maintain the normal architecture of the central canal (CC). However, little is known about the plasticity of cytoskeletal components after spinal cord injury. Here, we focus on the structural organization of the cytoskeleton of ependymal cells in the normal and injured spinal cord of mice (both females and males) using immunohistochemical and electron microscopy techniques.