Basal lamina formation at the site of spinal cord transection.

The pia-glial basal lamina (BL) at the site of spinal cord injury could be an important physical impediment to central nervous system regeneration. We used an epithelial BL-specific immunohistochemical stain to determine the location of the pia-glial BL after spinal cord transection. Small segments of BL were found at the margin of the lesion 5 days after transection. After 10 days, longer and more numerous segments were seen. At 20 days, the entire transected end of the spinal cord was capped by a layer of BL.