McTigue Lab Research

Discovery theme 1: Understanding myelin biology after SCI

After traumatic spinal cord injury, adult progenitor (NG2+) cells proliferate and their progeny differentiate into new oligodendrocytes that remyelinate spared axons. Identifying and understanding the mechanisms that drive spontaneous repair processes such as these is important so that beneficial plasticity is not inadvertently interrupted. Select McTigue lab publications in this theme include:

Pukos N, Goodus MT, Sahinkaya FR, McTigue DM. Myelin status and oligodendrocyte lineage cells over time after spinal cord injury: What do we know and what still needs to be unwrapped? Glia, 67(11): 2178-2202, 2019.

Hesp ZC, Suzuki R, Wilson C, Nishiyama A, McTigue DM. Proliferating NG2+ cells are required for complete glial and fibrotic scar formation, maintenance of tissue integrity, and functional recovery after spinal cord injury in mice. J Neurosci 38(6): 1366-1382; 2018

Church JS, Kigerl KA, Lerch JK, Popovich PG, McTigue DM. TLR4 deficiency impairs oligodendrocyte formation in the injured spinal cord. J Neurosci, 36(23): 6352-64; 2016

Hesp Z, Goldstein EZ, Miranda C, Kaspar, B, McTigue DM. Chronic oligodendrogenesis and remyelination after spinal cord injury in mice and rats. J Neurosci, 35(3): 1274-90; 2015

Schonberg DL, Popovich PG, McTigue DM. Oligodendrocyte genesis is differentially influenced by Toll-like receptor (TLR2) and TLR4 mediated intraspinal macrophage activation. J Neuropath Exp Neurol, 66(12):1124-1135; 2007

Tripathi R, McTigue DM. Prominent oligodendrocyte genesis along the border of spinal contusion lesions. Glia, 55:698-711; 2007

McTigue DM, Wei, P, Stokes BT. Proliferation of NG2+ cells and altered oligodendrocyte numbers in the contused rat spinal cord. J Neurosci, 21:3392-3400; 2001

Discovery theme 2: Understanding liver & systemic metabolic pathology after SCI

The liver is essential for numerous physiological processes, including filtering blood and regulating iron storage and release. The liver is also an important immune organ and plays a critical role in response to infection and injury. Liver functions are regulated by autonomic parasympathetic innervation from the brainstem and sympathetic innervation from the thoracic spinal cord. The McTigue lab has shown that key liver functions become dramatically altered by SCI and influence injury outcomes. McTigue lab papers in this theme include:

Sauerbeck AD, Laws JL, Bandaru VVR, Popovich PG, Haughey NJ, McTigue DM Spinal cord injury causes chronic liver pathology in rats. J Neurotrauma, 32: 159-169; 2015

Goodus MT, Carson KE, Sauerbeck AD, Dey P, Alfredo AN, Popovich PG, Bruno RS, McTigue DM. Liver inflammation at the time of spinal cord injury enhances intraspinal pathology, liver injury, metabolic syndrome and locomotor deficits 342: 113725. 2021 Exp Neurol doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2021.113725

Goodus MT, McTigue DM. Hepatic Dysfunction and Spinal Cord Injury: A vicious cycle of central and peripheral pathology? Exp Neurol, 325, 113160, 2020

Check out the full list of Mctigue Lab research publications here!

Current McTigers

Lori Hudson, Lab manager

Ping Wei, Technician

Christina Lepak, Technician

Rochelle Diebert, Technician

Helya Faraji, Technician

Ana Dias, Research Associate

Christina Marion, Post-doc

Damon DiSabato, Post-doc

Maria Balch, Post-doc

Anthony Alfredo, PhD student

Dina Hafez, Masters student

McTigue Lab PhD and Post-doc Alum

Yonaida Valentine, PhD student
Matt Wainstein, MSc
Nafisa Noor, Undergraduate
Rahwa Ghenbot, Undergraduate
Nicki Pukos, PhD - currently a Research Scientist at Sarepta Therapeutics
Matt Goodus, PhD - Craig H. Neilsen post-doctoral fellow
Zoe Hesp, PhD - currently a Medical Science Liason, AbbVie
Evan Goldstein, PhD - currently a post-doc in the lab of Vittorio Gallo, Children's Research Institute, DC
Jamie Church, PhD - currently a postdoc in lab of Jared Schwartzer, Mt Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA
Andrew Sauerbeck, PhD - currently an Asst. Prof, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Fatma Rezan Sahinkaya, PhD - currently the Associate Scientific Director, ProEd Communications Inc
Akshata Almad, PhD - currently a Research Associate, Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania, PA
David Schonberg - currently a Senior Medical Science Liason, Atara Bioterapeutics, Cleveland OH
Richa Tripathi, PhD - currently a post-doc in the lab of William Richardson, University College London

Myelinating GFP+ oligodendrocyte wrapping around axons

NG2+ glial cell in spinal white matter

clec4f macgreen_veh_liver_clec4f _macgreen_5_proj.tif

Liver GFP+ macrophages stained for Clec4f

NG2 glia and astrocytes

bordering a spinal cord injury lesion