Filling the gaps – a call for comprehensive analysis of extracellular matrix of the glial scar in region- and injury-specific contexts

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Central nervous system (CNS) injury results in chronic scar formation that interferes with function and inhibits repair. Extracellular matrix (ECM) is prominent in the scar and potently regulates cell behavior. However, comprehensive information about the ECM proteome is largely lacking, and region- as well as injury-specific differences are often not taken into account. These aspects are the focus of our perspective on injury and scar formation. To highlight the importance of such comprehensive ...

Mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation (n=4) and brains were subsequently extracted and the injury-site and corresponding area on the contralateral side was removed using a 2.5 mm biopsy punch and the white matter was removed. Samples were homogenized using a (100 μl) dounce (Wheaton #357844) in 100 ul PBS (with protease inhibitor cocktail and Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)) and directly frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored in -80 °C until tissue protein fractionation. Following ...