Transplantation of Wnt5a-modified NSCs promotes tissue repair and locomotor functional recovery after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often results in limited recovery due to the failure of nerve cells to reconnect. Neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation is a promising therapy, but NSCs often don't differentiate into nerve cells efficiently. This study explores how to improve NSC differentiation into neurons for better spinal cord repair. The researchers found that Wnt5a and miRNA200b-3p can both promote NSCs to become neurons. Wnt5a boosts miRNA200b-3p levels through the MAPK/JNK signaling pathway, further encouraging neuronal differentiation. This process also involves reducing RhoA expression, which normally inhibits neuronal development. In animal models of SCI, Wnt5a-modified NSCs, which overexpress miRNA200b-3p, showed improved motor function and tissue repair. This suggests that Wnt5a can enhance NSC transplantation therapy by promoting neuronal differentiation and suppressing RhoA/Rock signaling, offering a potential new treatment strategy for SCI.

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  Wnt5a and miRNA200b-3p promote NSC differentiation into neurons, with Wnt5a upregulating miRNA200b-3p expression through the MAPK/JNK pathway.
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  Wnt5a reduces RhoA expression by upregulating miRNA200b-3p, inhibiting the RhoA/Rock signaling pathway, which suppresses neuronal differentiation.
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  In vivo experiments demonstrate that miRNA200b-3p is critical for Wnt5a-induced NSC differentiation into neurons, promoting motor functional and histological recovery after SCI by suppressing RhoA/Rock signaling.