{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Single-cell analysis of innate spinal cord regeneration identifies intersecting modes of neuronal repair.
{Author}: Saraswathy VM;Zhou L;Mokalled MH;
{Journal}: Nat Commun
{Volume}: 15
{Issue}: 1
{Year}: 2024 Aug 15
{Factor}: 17.694
{DOI}: 10.1038/s41467-024-50628-y
{Abstract}: Adult zebrafish have an innate ability to recover from severe spinal cord injury. Here, we report a comprehensive single nuclear RNA sequencing atlas that spans 6 weeks of regeneration. We identify cooperative roles for adult neurogenesis and neuronal plasticity during spinal cord repair. Neurogenesis of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons restores the excitatory/inhibitory balance after injury. In addition, a transient population of injury-responsive neurons (iNeurons) show elevated plasticity 1 week post-injury. We found iNeurons are injury-surviving neurons that acquire a neuroblast-like gene expression signature after injury. CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis showed iNeurons are required for functional recovery and employ vesicular trafficking as an essential mechanism that underlies neuronal plasticity. This study provides a comprehensive resource of the cells and mechanisms that direct spinal cord regeneration and establishes zebrafish as a model of plasticity-driven neural repair.