Abstract
The regenerative capacity of the injured CNS in adult mammals is severely limited, yet axons in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) regrow, albeit to a limited extent, after injury. We reasoned that coordinate regulation of gene expression in injured neurons involving multiple pathways was central to PNS regenerative capacity. To provide a framework for revealing pathways involved in PNS axon regrowth after injury, we applied a comprehensive systems biology approach, starting with gene expression profiling of dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) combined with multi-level bioinformatic analyses and experimental validation of network predictions. We used this rubric to identify a drug that accelerates DRG neurite outgrowth in vitro and optic nerve outgrowth in vivo by inducing elements of the identified network. The work provides a functional genomics foundation for understanding neural repair and proof of the power of such approaches in tackling complex problems in nervous system biology.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 956-970 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Neuron |
| Volume | 89 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 18 Feb 2016 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2 Mar 2016 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Neuroscience