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Vaccination stimulates retinal ganglion cell regeneration in the adult optic nerve.

Author	Benjamin Ellezam, Johanne Bertrand, Pauline Dergham, Lisa McKerracher
Citation Information	Neurobiology of disease, 12:1-10 (2003)
Keywords	Animals, Antibodies, Axotomy, Cell Extracts, Cell Survival, Female, Growth Cones, Growth Inhibitors, Immunoglobulin G, Immunoglobulin M, Myelin Basic Proteins, Nerve Regeneration, Neurites, Optic Nerve, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Retinal Ganglion Cells, Vaccination
Applications	Immunoblotting (Western)
Related Products	MAB1567
Pub Med ID	12609484

We examined whether vaccination of adult rats with spinal cord homogenate (SCH) can promote regeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) after microcrush lesion of the optic nerve. Injured animals vaccinated with SCH showed axon growth into the optic nerve and such regeneration was not observed in animals vaccinated with liver homogenate (LH). Regeneration was not a consequence of neuroprotection since our vaccine did not protect RGCs from axotomy-induced cell death. Sera of vaccinated animals were tested for antibodies against myelin-associated glycoprotein, NogoA, Nogo-66 receptor, or chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans (CSPG), but no significant levels were detected. Antibodies to myelin basic protein were present in the serum of some SCH-vaccinated animals. In culture, serum from SCH-vaccinated animals promoted RGC growth on myelin but not on CSPG. Our results show that the effect of the pro-regenerative vaccine is mediated by antibodies to SCH. However, we were not able to detect a significant immune reaction to growth inhibitory proteins, suggesting alternative mechanisms for the success of vaccination to promote regeneration.