Characterizing progenitor cells in developing and injured spinal cord: Insights from single-nucleus transcriptomics...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Stem Cell Biology
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Mature tissue-resident cells can acquire progenitor characteristics post-injury.
• The presence of endogenous stem cells with multipotentiality in the adult spinal cord is under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of neural cells in the adult spinal cord to act as stem cells.
• To characterize the response of spinal cord cells to injury across species.

Main Methods:

• Single-nucleus transcriptomic sequencing
• Genetic lineage tracing
• Cross-species analysis (rhesus macaque and human spinal cord data)

Main Results:

• Ciliated ependymal cells lose progenitor traits and proliferation post-NPC differentiation.
• Ciliated ependymal cells show minimal response to spinal cord injury (SCI) and do not revert to a progenitor state.
• Astrocytes transdifferentiate into mature oligodendrocytes post-injury.
• An intermediate glial cell population expressing both astrocyte and oligodendrocyte markers was identified.
• Functional scaffolds enhanced astrocyte-to-oligodendrocyte transition post-injury.

Conclusions:

• Astrocytes in the adult spinal cord possess significant multilineage potential.
• Spinal cord injury triggers astrocyte transdifferentiation into oligodendrocytes.
• Targeting astrocyte plasticity may offer therapeutic strategies for spinal cord repair.