Cells, 2023 · DOI: 10.3390/cells12040528 · Published: February 6, 2023
Spinal cord injuries (SCI) can lead to long-term neurological problems, and effective treatments are lacking. Astrocytes, a type of brain cell, change after a spinal cord injury. This study explores using gene therapy to increase the amount of a protein called Fgfr4 in astrocytes after SCI in mice. The researchers found that increasing Fgfr4 in astrocytes immediately after injury improved the recovery of motor skills. However, the effect might be different in male and female mice. The improvement was linked to less damage in the spinal cord and less reactivity from glial cells. The study also found that certain cell signals, like Notch signaling, decreased, while other signals related to creating new nerve cells increased in astrocytes that were changing after the injury. The results suggest that using gene therapy to increase Fgfr4 in astrocytes could be a way to improve recovery after a spinal cord injury.
Gene therapy targeting Fgfr4 over-expression in astrocytes after injury is a feasible therapeutic approach to improve recovery following traumatism of the spinal cord.
A sex-dependent response to astrocytic modulation should be considered for the development of effective translational strategies in other neurological disorders.
SCI-induced astrocyte-to-neuron conversion involves a concomitant down-regulation of Notch signaling and an up-regulation of the neurogenic process.