Moon Changjong, Heo Seungdam, Ahn Meejung, Kim Heechul, Shin Myungseung, Sim Ki Bum, Kim Hyung Min, Shin Taekyun
Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cheju National University, Jeju, South Korea.
J Vet Med Sci. 2004 Oct;66(10):1307-10. doi: 10.1292/jvms.66.1307.
Expression of osteopontin (OPN) was investigated in the spinal cords of rats with clip compression injury. Western blot analysis demonstrated that OPN protein increased significantly in the spinal cord during the early stages after injury. The increased expression of OPN was partially paralleled by that of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Immunohistochemical staining showed that OPN was expressed in proliferating activated microglia/macrophages in core lesions and in some astrocytes at the periphery of lesions. These results indicate that expression of OPN protein increases mainly in activated microglia/macrophages after spinal cord injury, suggesting that OPN is related to cell proliferation during the early stages after injury, probably leading to tissue remodeling.
