%0 Journal Article
%T GRT-X Stimulates Dorsal Root Ganglia Axonal Growth in Culture via TSPO and Kv7.2/3 Potassium Channel Activation.
%A El Chemali L
%A Boutary S
%A Liu S
%A Liu GJ
%A Middleton RJ
%A Banati RB
%A Bahrenberg G
%A Rupprecht R
%A Schumacher M
%A Massaad-Massade L
%J Int J Mol Sci
%V 25
%N 13
%D 2024 Jul 3
%M 39000434
%F 6.208
%R 10.3390/ijms25137327
%X GRT-X, which targets both the mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO) and the Kv7.2/3 (KCNQ2/3) potassium channels, has been shown to efficiently promote recovery from cervical spine injury. In the present work, we investigate the role of GRT-X and its two targets in the axonal growth of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Neurite outgrowth was quantified in DRG explant cultures prepared from wild-type C57BL6/J and TSPO-KO mice. TSPO was pharmacologically targeted with the agonist XBD173 and the Kv7 channels with the activator ICA-27243 and the inhibitor XE991. GRT-X efficiently stimulated DRG axonal growth at 4 and 8 days after its single administration. XBD173 also promoted axonal elongation, but only after 8 days and its repeated administration. In contrast, both ICA27243 and XE991 tended to decrease axonal elongation. In dissociated DRG neuron/Schwann cell co-cultures, GRT-X upregulated the expression of genes associated with axonal growth and myelination. In the TSPO-KO DRG cultures, the stimulatory effect of GRT-X on axonal growth was completely lost. However, GRT-X and XBD173 activated neuronal and Schwann cell gene expression after TSPO knockout, indicating the presence of additional targets warranting further investigation. These findings uncover a key role of the dual mode of action of GRT-X in the axonal elongation of DRG neurons.