AI Article Synopsis

  • Zebrafish possess a unique ability to regenerate spinal cord tissue after injury, unlike mammals which face hindrances like glial scarring.
  • Researchers identified connective tissue growth factor a (ctgfa) as a key player in this regenerative process, as it is expressed in glial cells that help bridge damaged areas.
  • By manipulating ctgfa levels, including overexpression and using human CTGF protein, the study demonstrated that this factor is crucial for promoting effective spinal cord repair and regeneration in zebrafish.

Article Abstract

Unlike mammals, zebrafish efficiently regenerate functional nervous system tissue after major spinal cord injury. Whereas glial scarring presents a roadblock for mammalian spinal cord repair, glial cells in zebrafish form a bridge across severed spinal cord tissue and facilitate regeneration. We performed a genome-wide profiling screen for secreted factors that are up-regulated during zebrafish spinal cord regeneration. We found that connective tissue growth factor a (ctgfa) is induced in and around glial cells that participate in initial bridging events. Mutations in ctgfa disrupted spinal cord repair, and transgenic ctgfa overexpression or local delivery of human CTGF recombinant protein accelerated bridging and functional regeneration. Our study reveals that CTGF is necessary and sufficient to stimulate glial bridging and natural spinal cord regeneration.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5114142PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf2679DOI Listing

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