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Cell biology of spinal cord injury and repair
Timothy M. O’Shea, … , Joshua E. Burda, Michael V. Sofroniew
Timothy M. O’Shea, … , Joshua E. Burda, Michael V. Sofroniew
Published July 24, 2017
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2017;127(9):3259-3270. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI90608.
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Review Series

Cell biology of spinal cord injury and repair

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Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) lesions present diverse challenges for repair strategies. Anatomically complete injuries require restoration of neural connectivity across lesions. Anatomically incomplete injuries may benefit from augmentation of spontaneous circuit reorganization. Here, we review SCI cell biology, which varies considerably across three different lesion-related tissue compartments: (a) non-neural lesion core, (b) astrocyte scar border, and (c) surrounding spared but reactive neural tissue. After SCI, axon growth and circuit reorganization are determined by neuron-cell-autonomous mechanisms and by interactions among neurons, glia, and immune and other cells. These interactions are shaped by both the presence and the absence of growth-modulating molecules, which vary markedly in different lesion compartments. The emerging understanding of how SCI cell biology differs across lesion compartments is fundamental to developing rationally targeted repair strategies.

Authors

Timothy M. O’Shea, Joshua E. Burda, Michael V. Sofroniew

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Figure 1

SCI lesions exhibit discrete tissue compartments.

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SCI lesions exhibit discrete tissue compartments.
(A) Schematic of SCI l...
(A) Schematic of SCI lesion compartments composed of different neural and non-neural cells. (B) Photomicrograph showing different cellular components in discrete tissue compartments of a mouse severe crush SCI (T9–T10) lesion. Boxed areas are enlarged to show details. Astrocytes are stained green using glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Neurons are stained red using NeuN. Pericytes and fibroblast-lineage cells in lesion core are stained white using CD13. Cell nuclei are stained blue using DAPI. (C) Survey photomicrograph of human severe SCI (C5–C7) showing relative proportions of lesion compartments (reproduced with permission from Brain, ref. 11). OPC, oligodendrocyte progenitor cell; ASB, astrocyte scar border.
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