The Effect of Retinoids on the Regenerating Axolotl Spinal Cord

In order to further elucidate the mechanics of the retinoid pathway on Urodele spinal cord regeneration, we employed Antibody/Horseradish Peroxidase Staining of both intact and regenerating Axolotl spinal cord tissues obtained from adult and juvenile animals to determine expression of two retinoid pathway components: Cellular Retinoic Acid Binding Protein II (CRABP II) and Cellular Retinol Binding Protein I (CRBP I). Current results demonstrate that CRABP II is heavily expressed in the arachnoid mater meningeal layer; CRPB I, however, is expressed in the following locations: the pia mater meningeal layer, the nuclei and cytoplasm of gray matter neuroblasts, as well as processes derived from neuroblasts and ependyma. Moreover, the morphogenic nature of the retinoids may possess a significant role in the regeneration-permissive interaction of the meninges and ependyma of the Axolotl spinal cord.