Real-time quantitative PCR analysis of rat diaphragm before and after acute cervical spinal cord injury

Male Sprague Dawley adult rats were subjected to a cervical hemisection at C2 (C2HS). Costal diaphragm (both ipsilesional and contralesional sides) were assessed under control conditions (sham surgery) and at 1 and 7 days post-C2HS. We used SA Biosciences Rat Skeletal Muscle Development and Disease RT2 Profiler PCR Array to quantitate gene expression of muscle atrophy and regeneration-relevant genes from the uninjured and injured tissues on the indicated sides and at the indicated timepoints post-lesion.