PMID- 14598294 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20031223 LR - 20220310 IS - 0360-4012 (Print) IS - 0360-4012 (Linking) VI - 74 IP - 4 DP - 2003 Nov 15 TI - Treatment of chronically injured spinal cord with neurotrophic factors stimulates betaII-tubulin and GAP-43 expression in rubrospinal tract neurons. PG - 502-11 AB - Exogenous neurotrophic factors provided at a spinal cord injury site promote regeneration of chronically injured rubrospinal tract (RST) neurons into a peripheral nerve graft. The present study tested whether the response to neurotrophins is associated with changes in the expression of two regeneration-associated genes, betaII-tubulin and growth-associated protein (GAP)-43. Adult female rats were subjected to a right full hemisection lesion via aspiration of the C3 spinal cord. A second aspiration lesion was made 4 weeks later and gel foam saturated in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was applied to the lesion site for 60 min. Using in situ hybridization, RST neurons were examined for changes in mRNA levels of betaII-tubulin and GAP-43 at 1, 3, and 7 days after treatment. Based on analysis of gene expression in single cells, there was no effect of BDNF treatment on either betaII-tubulin or GAP-43 mRNA expression at any time point. betaII-Tubulin mRNA levels were enhanced significantly at 1 and 3 days in animals treated with GDNF relative to levels in animals treated with PBS. Treatment with GDNF did not affect GAP-43 mRNA levels at 1 and 3 days, but at 7 days there was a significant increase in mRNA expression. Interestingly, 7 days after GDNF treatment, the mean cell size of chronically injured RST neurons was increased significantly. Although GDNF and BDNF both promote axonal regeneration by chronically injured neurons, only GDNF treatment is associated with upregulation of betaII-tubulin or GAP-43 mRNA. It is not clear from the present study how exogenous BDNF stimulates regrowth of injured axons. CI - Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. FAU - Storer, Paul D AU - Storer PD AD - Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA. FAU - Dolbeare, Dirk AU - Dolbeare D FAU - Houle, John D AU - Houle JD LA - eng GR - NS26380/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States PT - Comparative Study PT - Journal Article PT - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. PL - United States TA - J Neurosci Res JT - Journal of neuroscience research JID - 7600111 RN - 0 (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) RN - 0 (GAP-43 Protein) RN - 0 (Gdnf protein, rat) RN - 0 (Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) RN - 0 (Nerve Growth Factors) RN - 0 (RNA, Messenger) RN - 0 (Tubulin) SB - IM MH - Animals MH - Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/physiology MH - Cell Size MH - Chronic Disease MH - Female MH - GAP-43 Protein/genetics/*metabolism MH - Gene Expression Regulation MH - Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor MH - Nerve Growth Factors/*physiology MH - Nerve Regeneration/physiology MH - Neurons/*metabolism/pathology MH - RNA, Messenger/analysis MH - Rats MH - Rats, Sprague-Dawley MH - Red Nucleus/metabolism/pathology MH - Spinal Cord/metabolism/pathology MH - Spinal Cord Injuries/*metabolism/pathology MH - Tubulin/genetics/*metabolism MH - Up-Regulation EDAT- 2003/11/05 05:00 MHDA- 2003/12/24 05:00 CRDT- 2003/11/05 05:00 PHST- 2003/11/05 05:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2003/12/24 05:00 [medline] PHST- 2003/11/05 05:00 [entrez] AID - 10.1002/jnr.10787 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - J Neurosci Res. 2003 Nov 15;74(4):502-11. doi: 10.1002/jnr.10787.