An RNA-sequencing transcriptome of the rodent Schwann cell response to peripheral nerve injury

The important contribution of glia to mechanisms of injury and repair of the nervous system is increasingly recognized. In stark contrast to the central nervous system (CNS), the peripheral nervous system (PNS) has a remarkable capacity for regeneration after injury. Schwann cells are recognized as key contributors to PNS regeneration but the molecular underpinnings of the Schwann cell response to injury remain incompletely understood. To gain insight into the acute SC injury response, we provide an RNAseq database of Schwann cells purified acutely from the naïve and injured rodent sciatic nerve at 3, 5, and 7 days post injury. Bioinformatic analysis provides validation of cell purity and dataset integrity as well as identification of discrete modules of genes that follow distinct patterns of regulation in the first days after injury and their corresponding molecular pathways. Our dataset provides a helpful resource for further deciphering the SC injury response and provides a depth of transcriptional data that can complement the findings of recent single cell sequencing approaches. In addition, as more data becomes available on the response of CNS glia to injury, we anticipate that this dataset will provide a valuable platform for understanding key differences in the PNS and CNS glial responses to injury and for designing approaches to ameliorate CNS regeneration. RNA profiling of rat Schwann cells after sciatic nerve crush from uncrushed/naïve, 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days post nerve crush