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Altered transcription of glutamatergic and glycinergic receptors in spinal cord dorsal horn following spinal cord transection is minimally affected by passive exercise of the hindlimbs
Author(s) -
Chopek Jeremy W.,
MacDonell Christopher W.,
Shepard Patricia C.,
Gardiner Kalan R.,
Gardiner Phillip F.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/ejn.13823
Subject(s) - spinal cord , glutamatergic , glycine receptor , dorsum , neuroscience , anatomy , medicine , french horn , receptor , biology , glutamate receptor , glycine , psychology , amino acid , pedagogy , biochemistry
Gene expression is altered following a spinal transection ( ST x) in both motor and sensory systems. Exercise has been shown to influence gene expression in both systems post‐ ST x. Gene expression alterations have also been shown in the dorsal root ganglia and nociceptive laminae of the spinal cord following either an incomplete spinal cord injury ( SCI ) or a contusive SCI . However, the effect of ST x and exercise on gene expression in spinal cord laminae I‐ III has not fully been examined. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether gene expression in laminae I‐ III is altered following ST x and determine whether superimposed passive exercise of the hindlimbs would influence gene expression post‐ ST x in laminae I‐ III . Laser capture microdissection was used to selectively harvest laminae I‐ III of lumbar spinal cord sections, and quantitative RT ‐ PCR was used to examine relative expression of 23 selected genes in samples collected from control, ST x and ST x plus exercise rats. We demonstrate that post‐ ST x, gene expression for metabotropic glutamate receptors 1, 5 and 8 were up‐regulated, whereas ionotropic glutamatergic receptor (Glur2) and glycinergic subunit GLRA 1 expression was down‐regulated. Daily exercise attenuated the down‐regulation of Glur2 gene expression in laminae I‐ III . Our results demonstrate that in a ST x model, gene expression is altered in laminae I‐ III and that although passive exercise influences gene expression in both the motor and sensory systems, it had a minimal effect on gene expression in laminae I‐ III post‐ ST x.