Two distinct types of reactive astrocytes were studied in rat CNS. Reactive astrocytes secondary to penetrating trauma (anisomorphic gliosis) were induced by stab wounds to the brain. Reactive astrocytes secondary to Wallerian degeneration (isomorphic gliosis) were induced in spinal cord dorsal columns by dorsal rhizotomy proximal to dorsal root ganglia. Anisomorphic glial scars did not stain with antibodies to the glial hyaluronate-binding protein (GHAP), a structural glycoprotein of white matter extracellular matrix. Conversely, isomorphic glial scars were still GHAP-positive 3 months after dorsal root transection. Only after 5 months did GHAP immunoreactivity start to disappear from the isomorphic glial scar. Extensive dorsal rhizotomy was performed at the lumbar level to produce Wallerian degeneration of spinal cord dorsal columns. One month later, the rats were reoperated and two thoracic dorsal roots were implanted in the degenerated dorsal columns. The rats were examined 1 month after grafting. As expected, there was a dense anisomorphic glial scar at the site of surgery, while the dorsal columns above the graft showed isomorphic gliosis. Extensive axonal growth was observed in the dense glial scar surrounding the graft. Conversely, no axonal growth was observed in the degenerated dorsal columns undergoing isomorphic gliosis above the implant. The findings suggested that GHAP-negative astrocytes responding to traumatic injury are permissive for axonal growth and that GHAP-positive astrocytes responding to Wallerian degeneration are not permissive.

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