LAR inhibitory peptide promotes recovery of diaphragm function and multiple forms of respiratory neural circuit plasticity after cervical spinal cord injury.

LAR inhibitory peptide promotes recovery of diaphragm function and multiple forms of respiratory neural circuit plasticity after cervical spinal cord injury. Neurobiol Dis. 2020 Oct 27;:105153 Authors: Cheng L, Sami A, Ghosh B, Urban MW, Heinsinger NM, Liang SS, Smith GM, Wright MC, Li S, Lepore AC Abstract Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), up-regulated in and around the lesion after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), are key extracellular matrix inhibitory molecules that limit axon growth and consequent recovery of function. CSPG-mediated inhibition occurs via interactions with axonal receptors, including leukocyte common antigen- related (LAR) phosphatase. We tested the effects of a novel LAR inhibitory peptide in rats after hemisection at cervical level 2, a SCI model in which bulbospinal inspiratory neural circuitry originating in the medullary rostral ventral respiratory group (rVRG) becomes disconnected from phrenic motor neuron (PhMN) targets in cervical spinal cord, resulting in persistent partial-to-complete diaphragm paralysis. LAR peptide was delivered by a soaked gelfoam, which was placed directly over the injury site immediately after C2 hemisection and replaced at 1 week post-injury. Axotomized rVRG axons originating in ipsilateral medulla or spared rVRG fibers originating in contralateral medulla were separately assessed by anterograde tracing via AAV2-mCherry injection into rVRG. At 8 weeks post-hemisect...
Source: Neurobiology of Disease - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Neurobiol Dis Source Type: research