PLAU and ischemia: A role for uPA in the recovery of dendritic spines that have suffered an ischemia injury, was discovered by the observation that Wt, but not uPA−/−, or uPAR−/− mice, or animals in which a 4 amino acids mutation in endogenous uPA precludes its binding to endogenous uPAR (PlauGFDhu/GFDhu) [28] exhibit dendritic spine recovery after an ischemic injury.