Comparing axon regeneration in male and female mice after peripheral nerve injury. Issue 11 (12th September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jang, Eun‐Hae; Bae, Yun‐Hee; Yang, Eun Mo; Gim, Yunho; Suh, Hyun‐Jun; Kim, Subin; Park, Seong‐min; Park, Jong Bae; Hur, Eun‐Mi
• Is Part Of: Journal of neuroscience research. Volume 99:Issue 11(2021)
• Page Start: 2874
• Page End: 2887
• Publication Date: 2021-09-12
• Subjects: axon growth and regeneration -- dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) -- RRID: AB 10011569 -- RRID: AB 143165 -- RRID: AB 1841228 -- RRID: AB 2534088 -- RRID: AB 10011569 -- RRID: SCR 002798 -- sciatic nerve injury -- sexual comparison; Neurobiology -- Periodicals; 612
• DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24955
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0360-4012

Abstract

Abstract: Axons in the adult mammalian central nervous system fail to regenerate after injury. By contrast, spontaneous axon regeneration occurs in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) due to a supportive PNS environment and an increase in the intrinsic growth potential induced by injury via cooperative activation of multifaceted biological pathways. This study compared axon regeneration and injury responses in C57BL/6 male and female mice after sciatic nerve crush (SNC) injury. The extent of axon regeneration in vivo was indistinguishable in male and female mice when observed at 3 days after SNC injury, and primary dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from injured, male and female mice extended axons to a similar length. Moreover, the induction of selected regeneration‐associated genes (RAGs), such as Atf3, Sprr1a, Gap43, Sox11, Jun, Gadd45a, and Smad1 were comparable in male and female DRGs when assessed by quantitative real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, the RNA‐seq analysis of male and female DRGs revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in SNC groups compared to sham‐operated groups included many common genes associated with neurite outgrowth. However, we also found that a large number of genes in the DEGs were sex dependent, implicating the involvement of distinct gene regulatory network in the two sexes following peripheral nerve injury. In conclusion, we found that male and female mice mounted a comparable axon regeneration response and many RAGs were commonly induced in response to SNC. However, given that many DEGs were sex‐dependently expressed, future studies are needed to investigate whether they contribute to peripheral axon regeneration, and if so, to what extent. Abstract : In the mammalian peripheral nervous system, axon regeneration occurs spontaneously after injury. This study examined if axon regeneration after sciatic nerve crush injury was sex dependent and found that the extent of axon regeneration was indistinguishable in male and female mice. Transcriptome analysis revealed that many genes associated with neurite outgrowth were commonly induced in the two sexes, despite that a majority of genes were sex‐dependently induced by injury. Therefore, although male and female mice exhibit similar axon regeneration, the mechanisms involved might not be identical.