Harnessing developmental dynamics of spinal cord extracellular matrix improves regenerative potential of spinal cord organoids.

Neonatal spinal cord tissues exhibit remarkable regenerative capabilities as compared to adult spinal cord tissues after injury, but the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) in this process has remained elusive. Here, we found that early developmental spinal cord had higher levels of ECM proteins associated with neural development and axon growth, but fewer inhibitory proteoglycans, compared to those of adult spinal cord. Decellularized spinal cord ECM from neonatal (DNSCM) and adult (DASCM) rabbits preserved these differences.

Single-cell chromatin accessibility identifies enhancer networks driving gene expression during spinal cord development in mouse.

Spinal cord development is precisely orchestrated by spatiotemporal gene regulatory programs. However, the underlying epigenetic mechanisms remain largely elusive. Here, we profiled single-cell chromatin accessibility landscapes in mouse neural tubes spanning embryonic days 9.

Complexity of enhancer networks predicts cell identity and disease genes revealed by single-cell multi-omics analysis.

Many enhancers exist as clusters in the genome and control cell identity and disease genes; however, the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we introduce an algorithm, eNet, to build enhancer networks by integrating single-cell chromatin accessibility and gene expression profiles. The complexity of enhancer networks is assessed by two metrics: the number of enhancers and the frequency of predicted enhancer interactions (PEIs) based on chromatin co-accessibility.

Three distinct enhancers cooperate for sound receptor hair cell development.

Cochlear hair cells (HCs) in the inner ear are responsible for sound detection. For HC fate specification, the master transcription factor Atoh1 is both necessary and sufficient. expression is dynamic and tightly regulated during development, but the -regulatory elements mediating this regulation remain unresolved.

Contralateral Axon Sprouting but Not Ipsilateral Regeneration Is Responsible for Spontaneous Locomotor Recovery Post Spinal Cord Hemisection.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) usually results in permanent functional impairment and is considered a worldwide medical problem. However, both motor and sensory functions can spontaneously recover to varying extents in humans and animals with incomplete SCI. This study observed a significant spontaneous hindlimb locomotor recovery in Sprague-Dawley rats at four weeks after post-right-side spinal cord hemisection at thoracic 8 (T8).

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals Nestin active neural stem cells outside the central canal after spinal cord injury.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) in the spinal cord hold great potential for repair after spinal cord injury (SCI). The ependyma in the central canal (CC) region has been considered as the NSCs source in the spinal cord. However, the ependyma function as NSCs after SCI is still under debate.

Lineage tracing reveals the origin of Nestin-positive cells are heterogeneous and rarely from ependymal cells after spinal cord injury.

Nestin is expressed extensively in neural stem/progenitor cells during neural development, but its expression is mainly restricted to the ependymal cells in the adult spinal cord. After spinal cord injury (SCI), Nestin expression is reactivated and Nestin-positive (Nestin) cells aggregate at the injury site. However, the derivation of Nestin cells is not clearly defined.

Binary scaffold facilitates in situ regeneration of axons and neurons for complete spinal cord injury repair.

The limited regrowth of transected axons and insufficient regeneration of lost neurons in adult mammals collectively hinder complete spinal cord injury (SCI) repair. Hence, designing an ideal bio-scaffold which could coordinate the regeneration of axons and neurons in situ might be able to effectively facilitate the reconstruction of neural circuits and the recovery of nerve function after complete SCI. In this study, a sponge-like collagen scaffold with good drug release characteristics and good nerve cell compatibility was prepared and used as a drug delivery platform.

Small molecules combined with collagen hydrogel direct neurogenesis and migration of neural stem cells after spinal cord injury.

Complete spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to cell death, interruption of axonal connections and permanent functional impairments. In the development of SCI treatments, cell transplantation combined with biomaterial-growth factor-based therapies have been widely studied. Another avenue worth exploring is the generation of neurons from endogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) or reactive astrocytes activated by SCI.

A functional scaffold to promote the migration and neuronal differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells for spinal cord injury repair.

After spinal cord injury (SCI), endogenous neural/progenitor stem cells (NSPCs) were activated in neural tissue adjacent to the injured segment, but few cells migrated to the injury epicenter and differentiated into neurons. N-cadherin regulates mechanical adhesion between NSPCs, and also drives NSPCs migration and promotes NSPCs differentiation. In this study, linearly ordered collagen scaffold (LOCS) was modified with N-cadherin through a two-step cross-linking between thiol and amino group.

Cetuximab modified collagen scaffold directs neurogenesis of injury-activated endogenous neural stem cells for acute spinal cord injury repair.

Studies have shown that endogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) activated by spinal cord injury (SCI) primarily generate astrocytes to form glial scar. The NSCs do not differentiate into neurons because of the adverse microenvironment. In this study, we defined the activation timeline of endogenous NSCs in rats with severe SCI.

Staphylococcus epidermidis in the human skin microbiome mediates fermentation to inhibit the growth of Propionibacterium acnes: implications of probiotics in acne vulgaris.

Increasing evidence demonstrates that commensal microorganisms in the human skin microbiome help fight pathogens and maintain homeostasis of the microbiome. However, it is unclear how these microorganisms maintain biological balance when one of them overgrows. The overgrowth of Propionibacterium acnes (P.

Fermentation of Propionibacterium acnes, a commensal bacterium in the human skin microbiome, as skin probiotics against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Bacterial interference creates an ecological competition between commensal and pathogenic bacteria. Through fermentation of milk with gut-friendly bacteria, yogurt is an excellent aid to balance the bacteriological ecosystem in the human intestine. Here, we demonstrate that fermentation of glycerol with Propionibacterium acnes (P.

The response of human skin commensal bacteria as a reflection of UV radiation: UV-B decreases porphyrin production.

Recent global radiation fears reflect the urgent need for a new modality that can simply determine if people are in a radiation risk of developing cancer and other illnesses. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been thought to be the major risk factor for most skin cancers. Although various biomarkers derived from the responses of human cells have been revealed, detection of these biomarkers is cumbersome, probably requires taking live human tissues, and varies significantly depending on human immune status.

SK66-his, a novel glycine-rich peptide derived from Drosophila with antibacterial activity.

SK(66)-his, a novel glycine-rich peptide derived from the CG13551 gene of Drosophila, was directly expressed in Escherichia coli with the help of the glucose effect of the lac repressor and efficiently purified in high yield (10.063 mg/l). It showed significant activity against Gram-positive bacteria.