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Up-regulation of P2X7 receptors mediating proliferation of Schwann cells after sciatic nerve injury

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Abstract

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a common disease, which results in a partial or total loss of motor, sensory and autonomic functions, leading to a decrease in quality of life. Schwann cells play a vital role in maintaining the peripheral nervous system and in injury and repair. Using immunohistochemistry, Western blot, calcium assay and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) proliferation assay, the present study clearly demonstrated that P2X7 receptors (R) were expressed in myelinating and non-myelinating Schwann cells in longitudinal sections of sciatic nerves. After sciatic nerve injury (SNI), P2X7R expression in Schwann cells of injured sciatic nerves was significantly up-regulated during the early days of SNI. Double immunofluorescence of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and P2X7R implied that P2X7R may be involved in proliferation of Schwann cells. Further experiments on primary cultures of Schwann cells showed that P2X7R are functionally expressed in Schwann cells of rat sciatic nerves; ATP via P2X7R can promote Schwann cell proliferation, possibly via the MAPK/ERK intracellular signalling pathway. Other possible roles of P2X7R on Schwann cells are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Gillian E. Knight for her excellent editorial assistance. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of the People’s Republic of China (81471260 to Z. Xiang), 973 Program (2011CB504401 to Z. Xiang) and the National Natural Science Foundation of the People’s Republic of China (81101210 to Z. Guo).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Neurobiology, Second Military Medical University, 200433, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

      Xian-min Song, Jiao Zhu, Cheng He & Zhenghua Xiang

    2. School of Life Science, Shanghai University, 333 NanChen Road, 200031, Shanghai, China

      Xiao-hui Xu

    3. Department of Dermatology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 200433, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

      Zhili Guo

    4. Autonomic Neuroscience Centre, University College Medical School, Rowland Hill Street, London, NW3 2PF, UK

      Geoffrey Burnstock

    5. Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

      Geoffrey Burnstock

    6. Department of Anesthesiology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 200003, Shanghai, China

      Jian Li & Hongbin Yuan

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    1. Xian-min Song
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    Correspondence to Hongbin Yuan or Zhenghua Xiang.

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    Xian-min Song and Xiao-hui Xu contributed equally to this work.

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    Song, Xm., Xu, Xh., Zhu, J. et al. Up-regulation of P2X7 receptors mediating proliferation of Schwann cells after sciatic nerve injury. Purinergic Signalling 11, 203–213 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11302-015-9445-8

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11302-015-9445-8

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