| Abstract No.: | C-C3121 |
| Country: | Canada |
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| Title: | CORTICOSPINAL NEURONS WILL EXTEND AXONS IN RESPONSE TO OLFACTORY ENSHEATHING CELL MEMBRANE-BOUND FACTORS |
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| Authors/Affiliations: | 1 Miranda Richter*; 1 A.J. Roskams;
1 University of British Columbia, Department of Zoology, International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), Vancouver, BC, Canada
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| Content: | Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) are unique glial cells that have been implicated in promoting renewal and outgrowth within the olfactory system, and regeneration following lesion to the injured spinal cord. However, the mechanisms governing OEC-induced regeneration are not well understood, and many tracts have been recalcitrant to OEC-stimulated regeneration, including the corticospinal tract. The variability reported in regeneration and functional outcome from lesions to the corticospinal tract following OEC implantation in vivo further necessitates an understanding of specific mechanisms governing the interactions between OECs and corticospinal neurons. We have developed an in vitro outgrowth model of dissociated corticospinal neurons from postnatal 8 Thy1:YFP mice which allows us to analyze the contributions of OEC secreted and cell surface-bound factors to the extension of corticospinal neurites in vitro. Furthermore, this assay has been used to assess OEC-mediated mechanisms of neurite outgrowth, axon elongation, and dendritic branching in vitro. We have found that culture of corticospinal neurons on OEC monolayers promotes primarily axonal elongation, in contrast to the more prominent dendritic arborization observed when corticospinal neurons are treated with OEC conditioned media. We are now identifying which OEC membrane factors are required to enhance axonal elongation in order to provide potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of CNS injury and disease.
Supported by NSERC, MSFHR (MR), ISRT and CRPF (to JR).
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