Inhibition of Pten activity promotes IB4 positive sensory neuronal axon growth

Traumatic nerve injuries have become common clinical problems, and axon regeneration is critical process for the successful functional recovery of injured nervous system. In this study, we find that peripheral axotomy did not alter the expression level of Pten in IB4 positive sensory neuron. Aditionaly, our result further indicates that artificial inhibition of Pten markedly promotes IB4 positive neuronal axon growth in vitro. Thus, our results provide the strong evidence that Pten is prominent repressor of the adult sensory axon regeneration, especially in the IB4 positive neuron.