Comparative transcriptomic profiling of peripheral efferent and afferent nerve fibres at different developmental stages in mice

In the present study, an unbiased cDNA microarray analysis was carried out to examine differential gene expression patterns in both efferent and afferent nerve fibres at different developmental stages in mice. The aim of this study was to provide a framework for the integrated analysis of gene regulatory networks during peripheral motor and sensory neuron differentiation/maturation. Agilent SurePrint G3 Mouse GE V2.0 (8 × 60 K, Design ID: 074809) microarrays (Agilent Technologies) was performed on RNA samples extracted from efferent and afferent nerve fibres originating from the L4-L6 segments of the spinal cord at different developmental stages (P0, 1W, 3W, and 5W) in C57BL/6 mice. For each group, n = 9 for each developmental time point, and data from three independent experiments were assessed to ensure reproducibility.