Ezrin, a novel marker of ependymal cells, can be used to demonstrate their proliferation regulation after spinal cord injury in mice

• Published in: Neurobiology of disease 2024-12, Vol.203, p.106746, Article 106746
• Main Authors: Zhang, Lin, Xu, Yao-Mei, Bian, Ming-Ming, Yan, Hua-Zheng, Gao, Jian-Xiong, Bao, Qian-Hui, Chen, Yu-Qing, Ding, Shu-Qin, Wang, Rui, Zhang, Nan, Hu, Jian-Guo, Lü, He-Zuo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biomarkers - metabolism; Cell Proliferation - physiology; Central canal; Cytoskeletal Proteins - biosynthesis; Cytoskeletal Proteins - metabolism; Disease Models, Animal; Ependyma; Ependyma - metabolism; Ependyma - pathology; Ezrin; Female; Guanosine monophosphate reductase; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Single cell genomics; Spinal Cord - metabolism; Spinal Cord - pathology; Spinal Cord Injuries - metabolism; Spinal Cord Injuries - pathology; Spinal cord injury; Stem cell
• ISSN: 0969-9961; 1095-953X; 1095-953X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2024.106746

Ependymal cells (EpCs), as a potential stem cell niche, have gained interest for their potential in vivo stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury (SCI). Heterogeneity of spinal EpCs may contribute to differences in the ability of spinal EpCs to proliferate, differentiate and transition after injury, while there is limited understanding of the regulation of these events. Our research found that ezrin (Ezr) was expressed highly in EpCs of the spinal cord, and its upregulation rapidly occurred after injury (6 h). It remained consistently highly expressed in proliferating EpCs, this occurs before pathological accumulation of it occurs in other glial and immune-related cells. Differential expression of Ezr, Arg3, Pvalb, Ccnd1, and Gmpr characterized distinct responses of EpCs to injury activity. Also, we uncovered the dynamic regulatory behavior of immature EpCs after injury. In contrast to constitutive expression in parenchymal tissues, injury factors upregulated guanosine monophosphate reductase (Gmpr) in arrested EpCs, unveiling a distinctive mechanism to regulate proliferation in EpCs following spinal cord injury. •Ezr is expressed at high levels in the central canal system of the spinal cord.•Ependymal cells proliferating after injury consistently upregulate Ezr.•Gmpr is upregulated by injury in the ependymal and is associated with a proliferative arrest state.•Injury factors upregulated Gmpr is a distinctive mechanism to regulate behavior of EpCs after SCI.