Figure 4: HS synthesis increases in injured spinal cords of T1KO mice.

T1KO, T1-null; WT, wild type. Data are expressed as the mean±s.e.m. (a,c). (a) Expression of messenger RNAs encoding enzymes necessary for HS synthesis was assayed via reverse transcriptase–PCR. The level of mRNA expression in WT mice was defined as 1.0 for each gene. These data were compared by two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni’s post hoc pairwise comparisons. *P<0.05 (n=15); T1KO SCI versus WT SCI or versus T1KO (intact). (b) On the basis of immunohistochemistry, HS was highly expressed in T1KO mice but not in WT or ChABC-treated mice, 2 w after SCI. Antibodies 10E4 and 3G10 recognize different disaccharides in HS. Scale bar, 1 mm. (c) Biochemical quantification of HS expression at sites of SCI 2 weeks after injury. *P<0.05 (Student’s t-test; n=6). (d) Dot-blot analysis of HS expression in spinal cords before and after SCI (2 w). HS was detected only in T1KO mice with SCI, but not in any other mice, including the ChABC-treated mice.