PUBLICATION
Development and repair of blood vessels in the zebrafish spinal cord
- Authors
- Ribeiro, A., Rebocho da Costa, M., de Sena-Tomás, C., Rodrigues, E.C., Quitéria, R., Maçarico, T., Rosa Santos, S.C., Saúde, L.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-230810-55
- Date
- 2023
- Source
- Open Biology 13: 230103230103 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Keywords
- spinal cord, vascular development, vascular repair, zebrafish
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Axons/physiology
- Mammals
- Spinal Cord Injuries*
- Zebrafish*
- PubMed
- 37553073 Full text @ Open Biol.
Citation
Ribeiro, A., Rebocho da Costa, M., de Sena-Tomás, C., Rodrigues, E.C., Quitéria, R., Maçarico, T., Rosa Santos, S.C., Saúde, L. (2023) Development and repair of blood vessels in the zebrafish spinal cord. Open Biology. 13:230103230103.
Abstract
The vascular system is inefficiently repaired after spinal cord injury (SCI) in mammals, resulting in secondary tissue damage and immune deregulation that contribute to the limited functional recovery. Unlike mammals, zebrafish can repair the spinal cord (SC) and restore motility, but the vascular response to injury has not been investigated. Here, we describe the zebrafish SC blood vasculature, starting in development with the initial vessel ingression in a body size-dependent manner, the acquisition of perivascular support and the establishment of ventral to dorsal blood circulation. The vascular organization grows in complexity and displays multiple barrier specializations in adulthood. After injury, vessels rapidly regrow into the lesion, preceding the glial bridge and axons. Vascular repair involves an early burst of angiogenesis that creates dysmorphic and leaky vessels. Dysfunctional vessels are later removed, as pericytes are recruited and the blood-SC barrier is re-established. This study demonstrates that zebrafish can successfully re-vascularize the spinal tissue, reinforcing the value of this organism as a regenerative model for SCI.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping