Role of Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans in Axonal Conduction in Mammalian Spinal Cord

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4659-09.2010
• Publication Date: 2010-06-09T17:53:18Z
• Authors: A. S. Hunanyan; G. Garcia-Alias; V. Alessi; J. M. Levine; J. W. Fawcett; L. M. Mendell; V. L. Arvanian
• Keywords: Aggrecan; Perineuronal net; Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan

Chronic unilateral hemisection (HX) of the adult rat spinal cord diminishes conduction through intact fibers in ventrolateral funiculus (VLF) contralateral to HX. This is associated with a partial loss myelination from VLF (Arvanian et al., 2009). Here, we again measured using electrical stimulation while recording resulting volley and synaptic potentials target motoneurons. We found that intraspinal injection chondroitinase-ABC, known digest chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), prevented decline axonal across chronic T10 Chondroitinase treatment was also behavior suggestive an improvement locomotor function after To further study role CSPGs conduction, injected three purified CSPGs, NG2 neurocan, which increase vicinity injury, aggrecan, decreases, into lateral column uninjured at separate experiments. Intraspinal acutely depressed region dose-dependent manner. Similar injections saline, or neurocan had no significant effect. Immunofluorescence staining experiments revealed presence endogenous exogenous some nodes Ranvier. These results identify novel acute action on suggest antagonism reverses prevents addition stimulating growth.