Figure 6.

Coexpression of α9 integrin and kindlin-1 promotes sensory axon regeneration in the dorsal column up to C1 level and the medulla. A, B, Diagrams representing a single 14 μm parasagittal spinal cord section of AAV5–α9–V5 + AAV5–kindlin1–GFP (A) or AAV5–α9–V5 (B) injected animals 12 weeks after dorsal root crush injury, showing regenerating axons in various regions along the spinal cord. Scale bar, 250 μm. The diagrams were produced by drawing the axons from single sections taken from the middle of the dorsal horn into the arrowed squares and then interpolating between them. Each dorsal column is ∼600 μm across or ∼40 parasagittal 14 μm sections. C, The maximum length (in millimeters) of regenerating axons observed along the spinal cord for each group, analyzed by one-way ANOVA and expressed as mean ± SEM. ***p < 0.001 was statistically significant, n = 5. D, The number of axons per section at C5/C6, C3/C4, and C2/C1 spinal cord segments of the α9 + kindlin1 group, expressed as mean ± SEM, n = 5.