Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Wallerian degeneration, the disintegration of the distal part of an injured axon, is an important event in many neurodegenerative diseases. We studied Wallerian degeneration in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) explants in culture by separating neurites from their cell bodies with a scalpel. The severed neurites showed Annexin V positive staining, that spreads distally with a rate comparable to that of slow axonal transport in intact neurons in vivo. Moreover, the injured neurites showed loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. These features resemble those seen when cells undergo apoptosis. These data contribute to a new understanding of the mechanism of axonal degeneration, have implications for the response of stromal cells in central nervous system (CNS) and raise the prospect of new pharmacological treatments for those neurodegenerative pathologies where the protection of the cell body alone does not alleviate the disease.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Neurosci Res

Publication Date

06/2003

Volume

46

Pages

161 - 169

Keywords

Animals, Annexin A5, Apoptosis, Axotomy, Cell Culture Techniques, Cycloheximide, Enzyme Inhibitors, Ganglia, Spinal, Immunohistochemistry, Membrane Potentials, Mice, Mitochondria, Neurites, Osmolar Concentration, Protein Synthesis Inhibitors, Staurosporine, Wallerian Degeneration