Elena Chierto, Paris Descartes University

Friday, 22nd September - h. 14:00
Seminars Room, NICO

Elena Chierto, PhD
Paris Descartes University

Novel models of stretch-induced injury in mouse oligodendrocytes and organotypic culture of cerebellar slices: study of pathophysiological mechanisms

Mechanical strain applied to the brain tissue occurs during development and following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Understanding how the mechanical forces lead to tissue damage and particularly to myelin breakdown and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production remains a considerable challenge. We hypothesized that stretch-induced injury can initiate oligodendroglial damage and demyelination and we aimed to decipher the cellular and molecular responses of oligodendrocytes when subjected to mild (20% strain) and moderate (30% strain) injury.  In oligodendrocyte-enriched primary culture, mild injury reduced cell surface area and caused cell loss in both mature and immature oligodendrocytes. The observed damage was more pronounced after moderate injury. In 158N oligodendroglial cell culture, moderate injury markedly reduced the amount of myelin protein PLP. Both mild and moderate injury resulted in an increased production of reactive oxygen species accompanied by protein oxidation and strain-dependant alteration of anti-oxidant defence. Cerebellar slices were subjected only to a “moderate” stretch, showing an alteration in the expression of myelin genes and proteins. In conclusion, this study suggests that mechanical stretch causes loss of oligodendrocytes and demyelination after injury.

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