title: Wnt/β-catenin signaling promotes regeneration after adult zebrafish spinal cord injury.
abstract: Unlike mammals, zebrafish can regenerate their injured spinal cord and regain control of caudal tissues. It was recently shown that Wnt/β-catenin signaling is necessary for spinal cord regeneration in the larval zebrafish. However, the molecular mechanisms of regeneration may or may not be conserved between larval and adult zebrafish. To test this, we assessed the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling after spinal cord injury in the adult zebrafish. We show that Wnt/β-catenin signaling is increased after spinal cord injury in the adult zebrafish. Moreover, overexpression of Dkk1b inhibited Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the regenerating spinal cord of adult zebrafish. Dkk1b overexpression also inhibited locomotor recovery, axon regeneration, and glial bridge formation in the injured spinal cord. Thus, our data illustrate a conserved role for Wnt/β-catenin signaling in adult and larval zebrafish spinal cord regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA; Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Strand
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA; Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Hoi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA; Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Tien M T
authors.initials: TMT
authors.lastname: Phan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA; Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA; Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Jason D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Berndt
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA; Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA. Electronic address: rtmoon@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Randall T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Moon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D058630:Spinal Cord Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D015854:Up-Regulation; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051176:beta Catenin
keywords: Regeneration; Spinal cord injury; Wnt/β-catenin signaling; Zebrafish