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Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Promotes Peri-Lesion Cell Proliferation and Functional Improvement after Cortical Contusion Injury

Pringle, AK; Solomon, E; Coles, BJ; Desousa, BR; Shtaya, A; Gajavelli, S; Dabab, N; Zaben, MJ; Bulters, DO; Bullock, MR; et al. Pringle, AK; Solomon, E; Coles, BJ; Desousa, BR; Shtaya, A; Gajavelli, S; Dabab, N; Zaben, MJ; Bulters, DO; Bullock, MR; Ahmed, AI (2021) Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Promotes Peri-Lesion Cell Proliferation and Functional Improvement after Cortical Contusion Injury. Neurotrauma Reports, 2 (1). pp. 27-38. ISSN 2689-288X https://doi.org/10.1089/neur.2020.0016
SGUL Authors: Shtaya, Anan BY

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Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability globally. No drug treatments are available, so interest has turned to endogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) as alternative strategies for treatment. We hypothesized that regulation of cell proliferation through modulation of the sonic hedgehog pathway, a key NSC regulatory pathway, could lead to functional improvement. We assessed sonic hedgehog (Shh) protein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with TBI. Using the cortical contusion injury (CCI) model in rodents, we used pharmacological modulators of Shh signaling to assess cell proliferation within the injured cortex using the marker 5-Ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine (EdU); 50mg/mL. The phenotype of proliferating cells was determined and quantified. Motor function was assessed using the rotarod test. In patients with TBI there is a reduction of Shh protein in CSF compared with control patients. In rodents, following a severe CCI, quiescent cells become activated. Pharmacologically modulating the Shh signaling pathway leads to changes in the number of newly proliferating injury-induced cells. Upregulation of Shh signaling with Smoothened agonist (SAG) results in an increase of newly proliferating cells expressing glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), whereas the Shh signaling inhibitor cyclopamine leads to a reduction. Some cells expressed doublecortin (DCX) but did not mature into neurons. The SAG-induced increase in proliferation is associated with improved recovery of motor function. Localized restoration of Shh in the injured rodent brain, via increased Shh signaling, has the potential to sustain endogenous cell proliferation and the mitigation of TBI-induced motor deficits albeit without the neuronal differentiation.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: © Ashley K. Pringleet al., 2021; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. This Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
SGUL Research Institute / Research Centre: Academic Structure > Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute (MCS)
Journal or Publication Title: Neurotrauma Reports
ISSN: 2689-288X
Language: en
Dates:
DateEvent
1 January 2021Published
22 January 2021Published Online
14 December 2020Accepted
Publisher License: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
URI: https://openaccess.sgul.ac.uk/id/eprint/112867
Publisher's version: https://doi.org/10.1089/neur.2020.0016

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