Identification of key genes involved in axon regeneration and Wallerian degeneration by weighted gene co-expression network analysis.

Peripheral nerve injury repair requires a certain degree of cooperation between axon regeneration and Wallerian degeneration. Therefore, investigating how axon regeneration and degeneration work together to repair peripheral nerve injury may uncover the molecular mechanisms and signal cascades underlying peripheral nerve repair and provide potential strategies for improving the low axon regeneration capacity of the central nervous system. In this study, we applied weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify differentially expressed genes in proximal and distal sciatic nerve segments from rats with sciatic nerve injury.

Transcription factor networks involved in cell death in the dorsal root ganglia following peripheral nerve injury.

The peripheral nervous system has the potential to regenerate after nerve injury owing to the intrinsic regrowth ability of neurons and the permissive microenvironment. The regenerative process involves numerous gene expression changes, in which transcription factors play a critical role. Previously, we profiled dysregulated genes in dorsal root ganglion neurons at different time points (0, 3 and 9 hours, and 1, 4 and 7 days) after sciatic nerve injury in rats by RNA sequencing.