Differential gene expression analysis in motor and sensory cortex as a result of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a neuroinflammatory model for Multiple sclerosis

We performed micrarrays to investigate neuronal gene expression changes during acute inflammatory CNS axon injury using the murine myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 (MOG35-55)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model. The present study was assigned to assess the direct and indirect endogenous neuronal response to spinal axonal injury in the motor and sensory cortex. Gene expression in motor and sensory cortex enriched tissue was assessed from four healthy and six EAE female mice. Tissue was collected from mice with paraplegia or monoplegia, with contralateral hindlimb paresis (EAE day 18-21). The gene expression profiles of the EAE mice were compared to the motor or sensory cortex of healthy control mice, resulting in a list of differentially expressed genes in healthy and EAE mice.本研究采用基因微阵列（microarrays）技术，以小鼠髓鞘少突胶质细胞糖蛋白35-55（myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55, MOG35-55）诱导的实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎（experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, EAE）模型为研究对象，探究急性炎症性中枢神经系统（central nervous system, CNS）轴突损伤过程中的神经元基因表达变化。本研究旨在评估运动皮层与感觉皮层内神经元对脊髓轴突损伤的直接与间接内源性应答反应。研究从4只健康雌性小鼠与6只EAE模型雌性小鼠中，提取富集了运动皮层与感觉皮层的组织样本，对其基因表达水平进行检测。组织样本采集自造模第18至21天、表现为截瘫或单瘫且伴随对侧后肢轻瘫的EAE模型小鼠。将EAE模型小鼠的基因表达谱与健康对照组小鼠的运动皮层、感觉皮层样本进行比对，最终得到健康小鼠与EAE模型小鼠间的差异表达基因列表。