Fig. 1.

Expression and cellular localization of EphA4 and its ligands before and after SCI. a Real-time PCR detected the expression of EphA4 at the mRNA level after SCI. b Western blot analysis detected the expression of EphA4 at the protein level after SCI. c–f Immunofluorescence staining examined the localization of EphA4 and ephrin-B ligands in spinal cord neurons and astrocytes at 3 days post-injury, and the results showed that EphA4 was mainly expressed on the surface of neurons with a small amount colocalized with astrocytes; ephrin-B1 and ephrin-B3 were both barely expressed on the surface of spinal cord neurons and were mainly located in astrocytes; ephrin-B2 was widely distributed in spinal cord neurons and astrocytes. N = 5; **P < 0.01. Scale bar: 100 μm