Ablation of Nogo Receptor in Spinal Cord Injury

Veterans Health Administration, Decatur PA

Investigators

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Abstract

Abstract Because axons of the central nervous system (CNS) fail to regenerate after injury, spinal cord trauma is a devastating cause of permanent neurologic disability in the veteran population. Work in recent years has begun to elucidate mechanisms responsible for the failure of regeneration, with identification of molecules expressed in CNS myelin whose interaction with axonal Nogo receptors results in the inhibition of axonal extension. The studies proposed are designed to test the hypothesis that: Functional ablation of the Nogo receptor family members NgR1 and NgR2 leads to improved motor behavior and axon regeneration following acute spinal cord injury. The research described in this grant application is aimed at testing the following hypothesis: Genetic ablation of the Nogo receptor family members NgR1 and NgR2 leads to improved motor behavior and axon regeneration following acute spinal cord injury in mice, and the corollary that local sustained production of a soluble chimeric NgR1/NgR2-Fc receptor will lead to enhanced axonal regeneration and improved behavioral outcomes following SCI and dorsal root crush in vivo. If NgR1 and NgR2 signal growth inhibition to regenerating axons, and do so in a partially redundant manner, the combined loss of NgR1 and NgR2 is anticipated to lead to an improved behavioral outcome compared to single knock-out mice or wild-type controls. Behavioral improvement will be compared to anatomical regeneration and sprouting of the corticospinal tract. In addition to the genetic approach in mice, we will test the therapeutic potential of a chimeric NgR1/NgR2 receptor expressed by gene transfer to neutralize myelin inhibition and promote axonal growth in a rat model of spinal cord and dorsal root injury in vivo.