Specific DNA sequences control how cells in the nervous system respond to spinal cord injury, which could allow for more targeted treatments, according to a study.
When the central nervous system is damaged, many cells become reactive, changing their function and activating genes that protect and repair tissues.
It is not clear how this process is regulated.
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute have mapped thousands of enhancers, small DNA sequences that act as gene switches, turning them on or increasing their activity.
By analyzing single cell nuclei from mice with spinal cord injuries using artificial intelligence models, the researchers found that these genetic switches are activated after an injury and instruct specific cell types to respond.
The main cells affected were glial cells such as astrocytes and ependymal cells, which are support cells that help protect and repair the nervous system.
Enric Llorens-Bobadilla, researcher in the department of cellular and molecular biology at the Karolinska Institute, says: “We have shown how cells read these instructions through a code that tells them how to react to an injury. This code combines signals from general stress factors with the cell’s own identity.”
Margherita Zamboni, a researcher in the same department and first author of the study, says: “This opens the possibility of using the code to direct treatments specifically to the cells affected by the injury.”
The study is a collaboration between researchers at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab, with support from the European Research Council, the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research.
Some researchers reported consulting roles and patent applications related to the technology.
