Axonal regeneration and functional recovery driven by endogenous Nogo receptor antagonist LOTUS in a rat model of unilateral pyramidotomy
2019
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 tractusher 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
LOTUSin 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 tracingstudy, labeled axons spanning from the impaired side of the cervical spinal cord to the unlesioned hemisphere of the
red nucleusand sensorimotor cortex were increased in
LOTUS-Tg rats.
Anterograde tracingfrom the unlesioned cortex also revealed enhanced ipsilateral connectivity to the impaired side of the cervical spinal cord in
LOTUS-Tg rats. Moreover, electrophysiological analysis showed that contralesional cortex stimulation significantly increased ipsilateral
forelimbmovement in
LOTUS-Tg rats, which was consistent with the histological findings. According to these data,
LOTUSoverexpression accelerates ipsilateral projection from the unlesioned cortex and promotes functional recovery after unilateral pyramidotomy.
LOTUScould be a future therapeutic option for CNS injury.
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