Distinct Glycosylation Responses to Spinal Cord Injury in Regenerative and Nonregenerative Models

J. Proteome Res., 2022 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jproteome.2c00043 · Published: May 4, 2022

Spinal Cord Injury Physiology Biomedical

Simple Explanation

This study investigates the role of glycosylation, a post-translational modification, in spinal cord injury (SCI) and regeneration. The researchers examined how glycosylation patterns change in response to SCI in both rats and Xenopus laevis (frogs). In rats, the researchers also tested whether a collagen hydrogel treatment could influence these glycosylation changes after SCI. The study compared glycosylation responses in regenerative and non-regenerative models. The aim was to understand if glycosylation plays a role in determining whether regeneration occurs after SCI, and if biomaterials can be used to manipulate this process to improve outcomes.

Study Duration

7 and 14 days post-injury (rats), 1 and 7 days post-injury (Xenopus)

Participants

Adult female rats, pre- and postmetamorphic Xenopus laevis

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Following SCI in rats, complex and outer-arm fucosylated glycans decreased, while oligomannose and hybrid structures increased.
2
Sialic acid was found to be associated with microglia/macrophages following SCI in rats, indicating a potential role in inflammation.
3
In Xenopus, increased levels of N-acetyl-glucosamine (GlcNAc) were observed in premetamorphic animals, while a large increase in sialic acid was observed in nonregenerative animals.

Research Summary

This study aimed to improve understanding of spinal cord injury pathology by examining glycosylation changes following injury in both rat and Xenopus models. The researchers investigated how an aligned collagen hydrogel could influence postinjury glycosylation status in rats, and compared glycosylation responses in regenerative and nonregenerative scenarios using Xenopus laevis. The findings suggest that glycosylation may influence regenerative success, with loss of complex glycans in rat spinal cord potentially contributing to regeneration failure.

Practical Implications

Therapeutic Target Identification

Targeting the glycosylation response may be a promising strategy for future therapies for spinal cord injury.

Biomaterial Design

Future biomaterial therapies could be functionalized in a more informed manner by considering glycosylation patterns.

Inflammation Management

Sialic acid could be a potential target for manipulating the inflammatory response post-SCI.

Study Limitations

1
The study did not perform statistics on WAX-HPLC data due to low n numbers.
2
Immunolabeling in injured X. laevis spinal cord was not satisfactory for double-labeling experiments.
3
The study acknowledges that the lack of effect on the glycoprofile seen with collagen hydrogel treatment reinforces the idea that a combinatorial treatment may be necessary.

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