Antisense Morpholino Oligonucleotides Reduce Neurofilament Synthesis and Inhibit Axon Regeneration in Lamprey Reticulospinal Neurons

This study investigates axon regeneration in lampreys after spinal cord injury, focusing on the role of neurofilaments (NFs). It challenges the conventional understanding of axon regeneration. The study uses antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (MOs) to manipulate NF expression and observes the effects on axon retraction and regeneration after spinal cord transection (TX). The research also examines collateral sprouting, NF protein expression over time, and the impact of age on NF expression to understand axonal regeneration in lampreys.

• 1
  Inhibition of NF180 expression with antisense MOs significantly reduced axon regeneration at 4 and 9 weeks post-TX.
• 2
  The study found no evidence of collateral sprouting in lamprey spinal cords after hemisection, suggesting that functional recovery is based on true regeneration.
• 3
  NF180 protein expression increases in RNs during development, and axotomy initially leads to varicosities and vesicle-like structures, followed by swelling and reduced NF180 staining.