Fgf-dependent glial cell bridges facilitate spinal cord regeneration in Zebrafish

Abstract

Adult Zebrafish show a remarkable capacity to regenerate their spinal column after injury, an ability that stands in stark contrast to the limited repair that occurs within the mammalian CNS post-injury. The reasons for this interspecies difference in regenerative capacity remain unclear. Here we demonstrate a novel role for Fgf signaling during glial cell morphogenesis in promoting axonal regeneration after spinal cordinjury. Zebrafish glia are induced by Fgf signaling, to form anelongated bipolarmorphology that formsabridge between the two sides of the resected spinal cord, over which regenerating axons actively migrate. Loss of Fgf function inhibits formation of this "glial bridge" and pr..