Expression of soluble Nogo-66 receptor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in transduced rat bone marrow stromal...

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) are promising candidates for cell transplantation in the central nervous system. When grafted into injury sites, they may be able to form 'guiding strands' for host axonal growth, and secrete nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to support injured neurons and axons. However, they have no effect on the inhibitory molecules secreted locally following neuronal injury. The Nogo-66 receptor (NgR) plays a key role in inhibiting axon regeneration in the central nervous system. Exogenous soluble NgR can competitively bind to inhibitors and improve locomotor function recovery. In this study, a gene encoding soluble NgR was cloned and transduced into rat BMSCs using a lentiviral vector. Expression of soluble NgR was detected in the rat BMSCs. NgR-expressing BMSCs also secreted BDNF during culture in vitro. These results indicate that transduced BMSCs not only antagonize the effects of molecules inhibiting axon growth but also express neurotrophic factors, and thus have the potential to promote axon regeneration via more than one mechanism.