title: Retinal ganglion cell survival and axon regeneration after optic nerve injury in naked mole-rats.
abstract: In the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS), axonal damage often triggers neuronal cell death and glial activation, with very limited spontaneous axon regeneration. In this study, we performed optic nerve injury in adult naked mole-rats, the longest living rodent, with a maximum life span exceeding 30 years, and found that injury responses in this species are quite distinct from those in other mammalian species. In contrast to what is seen in other mammals, the majority of injured retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) survive with relatively high spontaneous axon regeneration. Furthermore, injured RGCs display activated signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3), whereas astrocytes in the optic nerve robustly occupy and fill the lesion area days after injury. These neuron-intrinsic and -extrinsic injury responses are reminiscent of those in "cold-blooded" animals, such as fish and amphibians, suggesting that the naked mole-rat is a powerful model for exploring the mechanisms of neuronal injury responses and axon regeneration in mammals. J. Comp. Neurol. 525:380-388, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, 33136.
authors.forename: Kevin K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, 33136.
authors.forename: Xueting
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychology and Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G3, Canada.
authors.forename: Skyler J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Mooney
authors.affiliation: Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, 33136.
authors.forename: Benjamin J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Yungher
authors.affiliation: F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Children's Hospital, and Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115.
authors.forename: Stephane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belin
authors.affiliation: F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Children's Hospital, and Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychology and Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G3, Canada.
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.affiliation: F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Children's Hospital, and Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115.
authors.forename: Zhigang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D002470:Cell Survival; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019577:Mole Rats; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D020221:Optic Nerve Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: RRID:AB_10063408; RRID:AB_10694681; RRID:AB_143165; RRID:AB_2532994; RRID:AB_2534074; RRID:AB_2535855; RRID:AB_561305; axon growth. RRID:IMSR_JAX:000664; axon injury; axon regeneration; naked mole-rat; retinal ganglion cell