Expression of ubiquitin-like immunoreactivity in axons after compression trauma to rat spinal cord

The ubiquitin-mediated proteolytic pathway is an important mode of protein degradation in various tissues. Since breakdown of proteins may occur in axons after injury we evaluated the presence of ubiquitin-like immunoreactive material in rat spinal cord following compression injury of mild, moderate and severe degrees at T8-9 level, resulting in no neurological deficit, reversible paraparesis and paraplegia of the hind limbs, respectively. Rats with mild to severe compression injury surviving 1-4 days showed numerous, intensely immunoreactive expanded axons at the site of compression. The labelled axons were randomly distributed in the longitudinal tracts but they were never found in the corticospinal tracts. No labelling was detected by 9 days after injury. In addition, the presence of labelled axons was investigated in the T7 and the T10 segments from rats with moderate compression. No labelling was seen in T7, but in T10 segments many immunoreactive axons were present. Control rats did not show immunoreactive axons in the spinal cord. Neurons of dorsal root ganglia, trigeminal ganglia and of the grey matter of the spinal cord were immunoreactive. Cerebral cortical neurons did not show ubiquitin expression. Thus, compression of the rat spinal cord causes a transient accumulation of ubiquitin-like immunoreactive material in axonal swellings. Even though the dynamics of ubiquitin conjugates are not fully understood, the observed axonal accumulation presumably reflects arrested anterograde axonal transport of protein chiefly derived from neurons of dorsal root ganglia and the local neurons of the spinal cord. The presence of ubiquitin in damaged axons is one prerequisite for degradation of abnormal proteins by the ubiquitin-mediated proteolytic pathway, which may be activated in reactive axonal swellings.