Protein expression profiling during wallerian degeneration after rat sciatic nerve injury.

Wallerian degeneration (WD) is an important area of research in modern neuroscience. Many protein expressions are regulated by differentially expressed genes in WD, but the precise mechanisms are elusive. In this study, we profiled differentially expressed proteins in WD after rat sciatic nerve injury using an antibody array. Functional analysis positively identified cell proliferation, regulation of cell proliferation, and immune system processes. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed molecular networks related mainly to cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, the mitogen-activated proteinkinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, apoptosis, the toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway, and the Janus kinase (Jak) - signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway. Interactions between these differential proteins were well established and regulated by the key factors transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), Fas ligand (FasL), and 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-1 (PRKAA1). These results provide information related to functional analysis of differentially expressed genes during WD.