trkC expression in the injured rat spinal cord

Reactive non-neuronal cells express high levels of low-affinity neurotrophin receptor and truncated trkB receptors after spinal cord injury. Here we report that descending nerve fibres in the rat lateral spinal cord column show strong trkC-like immunoreactivity after traumatic spinal cord lesions in the adult rat. No change in trkC expression by glial cells could be detected by immunohistochemistry or in situ hybridization at the lesion site. The data suggest that regeneration of descending spinal cord axons could be encouraged by the trkC ligand, neurotrophin 3.