Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41744494›Full record

ArticleeLife2026

Coordinated stimulation of axon regenerative and neurodegenerative transcriptional programs by ATF4 following optic nerve injury.

Preethi Somasundaram, Madeline M Farley, Melissa A Rudy, Katya Sigal, Andoni I Asencor, David G Stefanoff, Malay Shah, Puneetha Goli, Jenny Heo, Shufang Wang and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in eLife, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Mitochondria-Nuclear Crosstalk: Orchestrating mtDNA Maintenance.Environmental and molecular mutagenesis · 2025
    Review
  5. Article
  6. A lead role for a "secondary" axonal injury response.Neural regeneration research · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Preethi SomasundaramDepartments of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2212-2071
Madeline M FarleyDepartments of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4852-2919
Melissa A RudyDepartments of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0165-5669
Katya SigalDivision of Neuroimmunology and Glial Biology, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2953-0440
Andoni I AsencorDivision of Neuroimmunology and Glial Biology, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4835-0849
David G StefanoffDepartments of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4366-7645
Malay ShahDepartments of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0284-3402
Puneetha GoliDepartments of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5031-169X
Jenny HeoDepartments of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9773-071X
Shufang WangDepartments of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2983-7453
Nicholas M TranMol. and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4213-3499
Trent A WatkinsDepartments of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6723-3712

Funding

The integrated stress response in cognitive disordersR01NS076708 · NINDS · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI PFAFFINGER, PAUL, RAY, RUSSELL S · 2012 to 2025
$7.9M
Activity-related mechanisms of selective retinal ganglion cell resilience and axon regenerationR01EY036111 · NEI · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI Nicholas Minh Abell Tran · 2024 to 2026
$2.2M
MOLECULAR DISSECTION OF THE AXONAL INJURY RESPONSE FOR REGENERATION AND NEUROPROTECTIONR01NS112691 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI WATKINS, TRENT · 2020 to 2024
$1.9M
Determinants of type-dependent retinal ganglion cell resilience: potential targets for neuroprotection and axon regenerationR00EY029360 · NEI · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI TRAN, NICHOLAS MINH ABELL · 2021 to 2023
$740k
NEI NIH HHS R01 EY036111NIH HHS R00EY029360NIH HHS R01NS076708NIH HHS R01NS112691NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS076708NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS112691
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Stress signaling is important for determining the fates of neurons following axonal insults. Previously, we showed that the stress-responsive kinase PERK contributes to injury-induced neurodegeneration (Larhammar et al., 2017). Here, we show that PERK acts primarily through activating transcription factor-4 (ATF4) to stimulate not only pro-apoptotic but also pro-regenerative responses following optic nerve damage. Using conditional knockout mice, we find an extensive PERK/ATF4-dependent transcriptional response that includes canonical ATF4 target genes and modest contributions by C/EBP Homologous Protein (CHOP). Overlap with c-Jun-dependent transcription suggests interplay with a parallel stress pathway that orchestrates regenerative and apoptotic responses. Accordingly, neuronal knockout of ATF4 recapitulates the neuroprotection afforded by PERK deficiency, and PERK or ATF4 knockout impairs optic axon regeneration enabled by disrupting the tumor suppressor PTEN. These findings reveal an integral role for PERK/ATF4 in coordinating neurodegenerative and regenerative responses to CNS axon injury.

Indexed as

axon regenerationintegrated stress responsemouseneurodegenerationneuroscienceretinal ganglion cell

Identifiers

PMID41744494
PMCPMC12945389

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.