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

Peripheral nerve injury impairs motor and sensory function in humans, and its functional recovery largely depends on the axonal outgrowth required for the accurate reinnervation of appropriate targets. To better understand how motor and sensory nerve fibres select their terminal pathways, an unbiased cDNA microarray analysis was conducted to examine differential gene expression patterns in peripheral efferent and afferent fibres at different developmental stages in mice. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Enrichment of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses revealed common and distinct features of enrichment for differentially expressed genes during motor and sensory nerve fibre development. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) further indicated that the key differentially expressed genes were associated with trans-synaptic neurexin-neuroligin signalling components and a variety of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. The aim of this study was to generate a framework of gene networks regulated during motor and sensory neuron differentiation/maturation. These data may provide new clues regarding the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms that determine the intrinsic capacity of neurons to regenerate after peripheral nerve injury. Our findings may thus facilitate further development of a potential intervention to manipulate the therapeutic efficiency of peripheral nerve repair in the clinic.