Satellite glial cell manipulation prior to axotomy enhances developing dorsal root ganglion central branch regrowth into the spinal cord

The central and peripheral nervous systems (CNS and PNS, respectively) exhibit remarkable diversity in the capacity to regenerate following neuronal injury with PNS injuries being much more likely to regenerate than those that occur in the CNS. Glial responses to damage greatly influence the likelihood of regeneration by either promoting or inhibiting axonal regrowth over time. However, despite our understanding of how some glial lineages participate in nerve degeneration and regeneration, less is known about the contributions of peripheral satellite glial cells (SGC) to regeneration failure following central axon branch injury of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) sensory neurons. Here, using in vivo, time-lapse imaging in larval zebrafish coupled with laser axotomy, we investigate the role of SGCs in axonal regeneration. In our studies we show that SGCs respond to injury by relocating their nuclei to the injury site during the same period that DRG neurons produce new central branch neurites. Laser ablation of SGCs prior to axon injury results in more neurite growth attempts and ultimately a higher rate of successful central axon regrowth, implicating SGCs as inhibitors of regeneration. We also demonstrate that this SGC response is mediated in part by ErbB signaling, as chemical inhibition of this receptor results in reduced SGC motility and enhanced central axon regrowth. These findings provide new insights into SGC-neuron interactions under injury conditions and how these interactions influence nervous system repair.