Open AccessNerve bundle formation during the promotion of peripheral nerve regeneration: collagen VI-neural cell adhesion molecule 1 interaction
Author(s) -
Jia-Hui Sun,
Ming Huang,
Zhou Fang,
Tianxiao Li,
Tingting Wu,
Yi Chen,
Daping Quan,
Yingying Xu,
Yuming Wang,
Yi Yang,
Jianlong Zou
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
neural regeneration research/neural regeneration research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.93
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1876-7958
pISSN - 1673-5374
DOI - 10.4103/1673-5374.324861
Subject(s) - extracellular matrix , chemistry , laminin , matrigel , neural cell adhesion molecule , axolemma , regeneration (biology) , microbiology and biotechnology , nerve guidance conduit , anatomy , adhesion , cell adhesion , neuroscience , biology , cell , myelin , biochemistry , central nervous system , organic chemistry
The formation of nerve bundles, which is partially regulated by neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1), is important for neural network organization during peripheral nerve regeneration. However, little is known about how the extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironment affects this process. Here, we seeded dorsal root ganglion tissue blocks on different ECM substrates of peripheral nerve ECM-derived matrix-gel, Matrigel, laminin 521, collagen I, and collagen IV, and observed well-aligned axon bundles growing in the peripheral nerve ECM-derived environment. We confirmed that NCAM1 is necessary but not sufficient to trigger this phenomenon. A protein interaction assay identified collagen VI as an extracellular partner of NCAM1 in the regulation of axonal fasciculation. Collagen VI interacted with NCAM1 by directly binding to the FNIII domain, thereby increasing the stability of NCAM1 at the axolemma. Our in vivo experiments on a rat sciatic nerve defect model also demonstrated orderly nerve bundle regeneration with improved projection accuracy and functional recovery after treatment with 10 mg/mL Matrigel and 20 μg/mL collagen VI. These findings suggest that the collagen VI-NCAM1 pathway plays a regulatory role in nerve bundle formation. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Guangzhou Medical University (approval No. GY2019048) on April 30, 2019.