Spastin interacts with collapsin response mediator protein 3 to regulate neurite growth and branching

This study investigates the interaction between spastin and collapsin response mediator protein 3 (CRMP3) in the context of spinal cord injury (SCI) repair. The researchers aimed to determine if and how these two proteins, both known to regulate neurite growth and branching, interact to facilitate the repair process after SCI. The study used several experimental techniques including proteomics, mass spectrometry, co-immunoprecipitation, and cell culture. These methods were employed to identify interacting proteins, confirm their interactions in vitro and in vivo, and evaluate their combined effect on neurite outgrowth. The key finding is that spastin and CRMP3 do indeed interact and that this interaction promotes neurite growth and branching. This suggests that these proteins could be potential therapeutic targets for spinal cord injury repair.

• 1
  Mass spectrometry identified the role of CRMP3 in the spinal cord injury repair process.
• 2
  Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry pulldown assays identified three CRMP3 peptides that were able to interact with spastin.
• 3
  CRMP3 overexpression was able to enhance the ability of spastin to promote neurite growth and branching.