Coordinated expression of the renin–angiotensin genes in the lumbar spinal cord: Lateralization and effects of unilateral brain injury

In spite of its apparent symmetry, the spinal cord is asymmetric in reflexes and gene expression patterns including leftward bias opioid glutamate genes. To examine whether this a general phenomenon for neurotransmitter neurohormonal genes, we here characterized co-expression (transcriptionally coordinated) genes renin–angiotensin system (RAS) that involved neuroprotection pathological neuroplasticity left right lumbar cord. We also tested RAS were affected by unilateral brain injury (UBI) rewired neurocircuits. The halves analysed intact rats, rats with left- or right-sided cortical injury, sham surgery. findings (i) lateralized Ace, Agtr2 Ren higher levels on side; (ii) asymmetry coordination was stronger (iii) decay neuroplasticity-related induced right-side but not left-side surgery UBI; (iv) UBI-induced shift to negative regulatory interactions between contralesional side. Thus, may be part networks have role side-specific regulation