Sox2ot /miR-9 /Cthrc1 Promote Proliferation and Migration of Schwann Cells Following Nerve Injury

The effects of traditional treatments for peripheral nerve injury (PNI) are not ideal, which has prompted the identification of new therapeutic strategies. As unique glial cells in the peripheral nervous system, Schwann cells (SCs) play an important role in the repair of PNI. Recent studies have demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the regulation of nerve repair after PNI. In this study, we used microarray technology to detect mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles at different time points after PNI and identified lncRNA Sox2ot-miR-9-Cthrc1 as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for further investigation. Expression of lncRNA Sox2ot was increased after PNI, and overexpression of Sox2ot promoted SCs migration and proliferation. Mechanistic analyses confirmed that Sox2ot can regulate the expression of Cthrc1 through competitive adsorption of miR-9 in SCs, ultimately affecting SCs migration and proliferation. Our findings reveal the key role of lncRNA Sox2ot in nerve regeneration and provide a new direction for PNI treatment.