Glial Plasticity Lab
Sanchez-Gonzalez Lab
Dr. Rosario Sanchez-Gonzalez
© Carolin Bleese
Blood-Brain-Barrier in the Axolotl
Traumatic injury of the central nervous system is the leading cause of disability worldwide and in the majority of the cases accompanied by a permanent loss of sensory, motor and/or cognitive functions. The limited regenerative capacity of the mammalian brain has been associated with the inability to replace lost neurons. However, in principle, new neurons can be generated in response to damage, and it is the injury-induced reactive environment (glial scar) that has a negative impact on neural survival and integration. We believe that the regenerative potential of a given species is not fixed and is susceptible of being regulated. In order to promote functional and scarless wound healing in the mammalian brain, it is necessary to first understand how these processes are spontaneously regulated in nature. Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) display an extraordinary regenerative potential, including scarless wound healing after traumatic brain injury. In the lab we analyze how different aspects of the regenerative process such us, glial reactivity, inflammation and blood-brain barrier regulation, affect functional regeneration in the amphibian brain.
Publications:
Selected publications:
Antesberger S., Stiening B., Forsthofer M., Joven Araus A., Eroglu E., Huber J., Heß M., Straka H. and Sanchez‑Gonzalez R. (2025). Species‑specific blood–brain barrier permeability in amphibians. BMC Biology, 23,43.
Sanchez-Gonzalez R., Koupourtidou C., Lepko T., Zambusi A., Novoselc KT., Durovic T., Aschenbroich S., Schwarz V., Breunig CT., Straka H., Huttner H., Irmler M., Beckers B., Wurst W., Zwergal A., Schauer T., Straub T., Czopka T., Trümbach D., Götz M., Stricker S. and Ninkovic J. (2022). Innate immune pathways promote oligodendrocyte progenitor cell recruitment to the Injury site in adult zebrafish brain. Cells 11:520.
Barbosa J., Sanchez-Gonzalez R., Di Giaimo R., Baumgardt V.E., Theis F., Götz M. and Ninkovic, J. (2015). Live imaging of adult neural stem cell behavior in the intact and injured zebrafish brain. Science 348(6236):789-793.
Özugur S., Chávez M.N., Sanchez-Gonzalez R., Kunz L., Nickelsen J. and Straka H. (2021). Green oxygen power plants in the brain rescue neuronal activity. iScience 24:103158.
Schneider-Soupiadis P., Forsthofer M, Courtand G, Sanchez-Gonzalez R., Lambert F.M. and Straka H. (2025). Influence of semicircular canal morphology on gaze stabilization and locomotion: species-specific features in larval Xenopus and Axolotl", Frontiers in Neurobiology, 16, 1564585.
Group members:
| Name | Title | Tel | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanchez-Gonzalez, Maria del Rosario | Dr. | rosario.sanchez@biologie.uni-muenchen.de | +49 89 2180 74308 | |
| Yaghoobi, Zahra | zahra.yaghoobi@lmu.de |
News
February 11th, 2025
New publication in BMC Biology
Congratulations to Sophie Antesberger and all authors!
Funding:
