[P41]: Skin‐derived precursors: A neural crest‐like precursor capable of remyelinating the injured spinal cord

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2006.09.104
• Publication Date: 2006-11-17T12:45:50Z
• Authors: J. Biernaskie; J. Sparling; I. McKenzie; R. Xie; J. Liu; C. Lam; A. Wong; D. Sutherland; A. Choo; C. Shannon; F. Miller; W. Tetzlaff
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences

We have previously described a skin-derived precursor (SKPs) exhibiting gene expression profile and differentiation potential characteristic of neural crest stem cells. In vitro, SKPs generate both mesodermal cell types we recently demonstrated that their progeny are functional in vivo, such SKP-derived Schwann cells (SKP-SCs) associate with axons compact myelin. Here, asked whether postnatal from the skin (newborn mouse human skin) were capable remyelination repair adult rat spinal cord following contusion injury. Spinal contusions typically result large cavitations surrounded by narrow rim spared white matter many demyelinated axons. Naive survived well limited integration differentiated into myelin forming plus other (i.e. adipocytes). Human also integrated well, expressed largely fibroblast or SC markers promoted massive invasion randomly oriented myelinated host SCs. There was noticeable myelinating (P0+) vitro SKP-SCs SCs lesion site as rim. contrast to naïve (both human) orientation bands rostro-caudal thereby an apparent bridge across site. As control, neurosphere-transplants exhibited poor survival after transplantation only occasionally formed Hence, achieved host, bridging injury agreement, rats receiving showed improved hindlimb locomotor function (BBB) relative all treatment groups no indication lowered sensory thresholds. conclusion, emerge excellent candidate for autotransplantation injured cord.