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. 2004 Mar 3;24(9):2143–2155. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3547-03.2004

Figure 6.

Figure 6.

Degeneration of neurons after ablation of reactive astrocytes adjacent to stab SCI. A-D, F, Transverse sections of upper lumbar spinal cord after longitudinal stab SCI (arrowheads) in a nontransgenic mouse given GCV (A, B, F; NT+GCV) or in a GFAP-TK transgenic mouse given GCV (C, D; Tg+GCV). A-D, Staining with cresyl violet (c.v.) reveals no detectable loss of neurons adjacent to stab SCI in the nontransgenic mouse (A, B), in contrast to pronounced neuronal loss in the GFAP-TK transgenic mouse given GCV (C, D). B, D, Details, respectively, of boxed areas in A and C, showing that neurons of all sizes appear healthy in the neural parenchyma adjacent to the SCI in the control mouse, and there is little or no evidence of neuronal degeneration (B); in contrast, there is pronounced neuronal degeneration in the region from which astrocytes have been ablated in the GFAP-TK transgenic mouse given GCV (D). E, Mean cell number ± SEM of cresyl violet-stained neurons within the wound margin adjacent to the stab injury (see Fig. 1D); GFAP-TK mice given GCV exhibited fourfold fewer neurons compared with control mice; n = 5 per group. ***Significantly different from control, p < 0.001 (ANOVA). F, Laser-scanning confocal microscopy of double staining for astrocytes (GFAP) and neurons (NeuN) showing that reactive astrocytes and their processes intermingle extensively among NeuN-positive neurons in the ventral horn after SCI in a control mouse. H-I, Transverse sections of upper lumbar ventral horn 14 d after injection of LPS. Cresyl violet staining reveals no detectable loss of ventral horn neurons induced by LPS (G). Immunohistochemical staining for CD45 in an adjacent tissue section reveals a pronounced inflammatory response and infiltration of leukocytes into the ventral horn induced by LPS (H). I, Laser-scanning confocal microscopy of triple staining for astrocytes (GFAP), neurons (NeuN), and inflammatory cells (CD45) showing that, in the presence of astrocytes, NeuN-positive neurons survive well despite the presence of many CD45-positive inflammatory cells in the ventral horn after LPS injection. Scale bars: A, C, G,H, 100 μm; B, D ,50 μm; F, I, 15 μm.