Axonal regeneration and functional recovery driven by endogenous Nogo receptor antagonist LOTUS in a rat model of unilateral pyramidotomy.

Axonal regeneration and functional recovery driven by endogenous Nogo receptor antagonist LOTUS in a rat model of unilateral pyramidotomy. Exp Neurol. 2019 Oct 17;:113068 Authors: Ueno R, Takase H, Suenaga J, Kishimoto M, Kurihara Y, Takei K, Kawahara N, Yamamoto T Abstract The adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) rarely recovers from injury. Myelin fragments contain axonal growth inhibitors that limit axonal regeneration, thus playing a major role in determining neural recovery. Nogo receptor-1 (NgR1) and its ligands are among the inhibitors that limit axonal regeneration. It has been previously shown that the endogenous protein, lateral olfactory tract usher substance (LOTUS), antagonizes NgR1-mediated signaling and accelerates neuronal plasticity after spinal cord injury and cerebral ischemia in mice. However, it remained unclear whether LOTUS-mediated reorganization of descending motor pathways in the adult brain is physiologically functional and contributes to functional recovery. Here, we generated LOTUS-overexpressing transgenic (LOTUS-Tg) rats to investigate the role of LOTUS in neuronal function after damage. After unilateral pyramidotomy, motor function in LOTUS-Tg rats recovered significantly compared to that in wild-type animals. In a retrograde tracing study, labeled axons spanning from the impaired side of the cervical spinal cord to the unlesioned hemisphere of the red nucleus and sensorimotor cortex were incre...
Source: Experimental Neurology - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Exp Neurol Source Type: research