BackgroundOligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) differentiate into oligodendrocytes (OLs), which are responsible for myelination. Myelin is essential for saltatory nerve conduction in the vertebrate nervous system. However, the molecular mechanisms of maturation and myelination by oligodendrocytes remain ...

Periventricular white matter injury (PWMI), is the leading cause of chronic neurologic injury among survivors of preterm birth. The hallmark of PWMI is hypomyelination and a lack of mature, myelinating oligodendrocytes. Oligodendrocytes undergo a well-characterized lineage progression from neural stem cell to ...

Recently, several in vitro studies have shown that the golli�myelin basic proteins regulate Ca²⁺ homoeostasis in OPCs (oligodendrocyte precursor cells) and immature OLs (oligodendrocytes), and that a number of the functions of these cells are affected by cellular levels of the golli proteins. To determine the influence of golli in ...

In neurons, serum response factor (SRF)-directed transcription regulates migration, axon pathfinding and synapse function. We found that forebrain-specific, neuron-restricted SRF ablation in mice elevated oligodendrocyte precursors while inhibiting terminal oligodendrocyte differentiation. Myelin gene and protein expression were downregulated and we ...

SummaryMicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate various biological processes, but evidence for miRNAs that control the differentiation program of specific neural cell types has been elusive. To determine the role of miRNAs in the formation of myelinating oligodendrocytes, we selectively deleted a miRNA-processing enzyme Dicer1 in oligodendrocyte lineage cells. Mice ...

Canavan disease (CD) is a neurodegenerative disease, caused by a deficiency in the enzyme aspartoacylase (ASPA). This enzyme has been localized to oligodendrocytes; however, it is still undefined how ASPA deficiency affects oligodendrocyte development. In normal mice the pattern of ASPA expression coincides with oligodendrocyte ...

Survival and differentiation of oligodendrocytes are important for the myelination of central nervous system (CNS) axons during development and crucial for myelin repair in CNS demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Here we show that death receptor 6 (DR6) is a negative regulator of oligodendrocyte maturation. DR6 is ...

The bHLH transcription factor Olig1 promotes oligodendrocyte maturation and is required for myelin repair. In this report, we characterize an Olig1-regulated G-protein coupled receptor GPR17 whose function is to oppose the action of Olig1. GPR17 is restricted to oligodendrocyte lineage cells but downregulated during the peak period of ...

The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor Olig1 promotes oligodendrocyte maturation and is required for myelin repair. We characterized an Olig1-regulated G protein-coupled receptor, GPR17, whose function is to oppose the action of Olig1. Gpr17 was restricted to oligodendrocyte lineage cells, but was downregulated during the peak ...

The process of oligodendrocyte differentiation is regulated by a dynamic interaction between a genetic and an epigenetic program. Recent studies, addressing nucleosomal histone modifications have considerably increased our knowledge regarding epigenetic regulation of gene expression during oligodendrocyte development and aging. These results have generated ...

Myelin abnormalities that reflect damage to developing and mature brains are often found in neurological diseases with evidence of inflammatory infiltration and microglial activation. Many cytokines are virtually undetectable in the uninflamed central nervous system (CNS), so that their rapid induction and sustained elevation in immune and glial cells contributes to ...

Recent studies have suggested that Nkx6.2/Gtx and Nkx2.2 homeodomain transcription factors are involved in the regulation of oligodendrocyte maturation and/or myelination which occur predominantly in postnatal stages. However, their cellular specificity in postnatal central nervous system has not been characterized and their dynamic expressional ...

... Murine Hepatitis Virus (MHV) Model of Spinal Cord Demyelination ... factor 1 or leukemia inhibitory factor, which each prevent loss of mature ...

Two long-standing rules in cellular neuroscience must now be amended with the publication of two studies on myelin-forming glia in the CNS: 1) Neurons can no longer be considered the only cells that fire electric impulses in the brain. 2) Synapses between neurons are not the only way electrical information is regulated as it propagates through neural circuits: oligodendrocytes ...

Two long-standing rules in cellular neuroscience must now be amended with the publication of two studies on myelin-forming glia in the CNS: 1) Neurons can no longer be considered the only cells that fire electric impulses in the brain. 2) Synapses between neurons are not the only way electrical information is regulated as it propagates through neural circuits: oligodendrocytes ...

The morphogenesis of oligodendrocytes is essential for central nervous system myelin formation and the rapid propagation of axon potentials through saltatory conduction. However, the discrete cellular events involved in the three-dimensional maturation of oligodendrocytes remain to be fully described. To address this, we followed the ...

Several neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia, autism, ADD/ADHD and dyslexia are believed to originate during gestation and involve white matter abnormalities. Modulation of glutamate environments and glutamate receptors has also been implicated in alteration of oligodendrocytes, the myelin forming cells of the CNS. To begin to understand how modulation of the ...

Several neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia, autism, ADD/ADHD and dyslexia are believed to originate during gestation and involve white matter abnormalities. Modulation of glutamate environments and glutamate receptors has also been implicated in alteration of oligodendrocytes, the myelin forming cells of the CNS. To begin to understand how modulation of the ...

Multiple sclerosis is characterized by repeated demyelinating attacks of the central nervous system (CNS) white matter tracts. To tailor novel therapeutics to halt or reverse disease process, we require a better understanding of oligodendrocyte biology and of the molecular mechanisms that initiate myelination. Cell extrinsic mechanisms regulate CNS myelination through the ...

Oligodendrocyte lineage cells are susceptible to a variety of insults including hypoxia, excitotoxicity, and reactive oxygen species. Demyelination is a well-recognized feature of several CNS disorders including multiple sclerosis, white matter strokes, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, and disorders due to mitochondrial DNA mutations. Although mitochondria have been ...

St. John's wort has been found to be an effective and safe herbal treatment for depression in several clinical trials. However, the underlying mechanism of its therapeutic effects is unclear. Recent studies show that the loss and malfunction of oligodendrocytes are closely related to the neuropathological changes in depression, which can be reversed by antidepressant ...

Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV)-induced demyelination is an important animal model for multiple sclerosis. The presence of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) within demyelinated lesions together with the limited extent of remyelination has raised the question of how OPCs are affected by TMEV. It is well established that ...

Remyelination of the CNS involves the regeneration of mature oligodendrocytes by endogenous oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). Previous studies have shown that bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) inhibit the production of oligodendrocytes in the healthy CNS. However, there is currently no information on the ...

Failure of remyelination is largely responsible for sustained neurologic symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS). MS lesions contain hyaluronan deposits that inhibit oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) maturation. However, the mechanism behind this inhibition is unclear. We report here that Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is expressed by ...

The successful transduction of action potentials along vertebrate axons is highly reliant on myelin, the concentric layers of membrane surrounding most large diameter axons. Within the central nervous system myelin is produced by oligodendrocytes. Developmentally, the oligodendrocyte linage arises from subventricular zone progenitors that give rise to ...

By use of pulse-chase exposure of dissociated cells of rat fetal spinal cord or brain to (3H)thymidine (TdR) and unlabeled TdR it has been shown that oligodendroglial precursors which do not express galactocerebroside (GalC) divide first and later differentiate to express GalC. The rate of proliferation of more mature GalC+ oligodendrocytes is considerably ...

In the adult mammalian brain, oligodendrocyte progenitors can differentiate into mature oligodendrocytes during remyelination. Mechanisms that regulate migration and differentiation of progenitors are of great importance in understanding normal development and demyelinating/remyelinating conditions. In a microarray analysis comparing ...

The myelin-associated protein Nogo-A is a well-known inhibitor for axonal regeneration and compensatory plasticity, yet functions of endogenous Nogo-A in oligodendrocyte differentiation are not as clear. As oligodendrocyte matures, its processes branch and eventually form lamellae that ensheath target axons. The present study examined ...

Figure 2: Diagramatic representation of oligodendrocyte differentiation pathway. Legend: Each stage of oligodendrocyte maturation is defined by the expression of specific lipid and protein markers, change in morphology, and migratory and proliferative capacity of cells. The most commonly used lipid markers and names of antibodies are ...

The transcriptional control of CNS myelin gene expression is poorly understood. Here we identify gene model 98, which we have named myelin gene regulatory factor (MRF), as a transcriptional regulator required for CNS myelination. Within the CNS, MRF is specifically expressed by postmitotic oligodendrocytes. MRF is a nuclear protein containing an evolutionarily conserved DNA ...

Neuronal circuitry relies to a large extent on the presence of functional myelin produced in the brain by oligodendrocytes. Schizophrenia has been proposed to arise partly from altered brain connectivity. Brain imaging and neuropathologic studies have revealed changes in white matter and reduction in myelin content in patients with schizophrenia. In particular, alterations in ...

SummaryThe transcriptional control of CNS myelin gene expression is poorly understood. Here we identify gene model 98, which we have named Myelin-gene Regulatory Factor (MRF), as a transcriptional regulator required for CNS myelination. Within the CNS, MRF is specifically expressed by postmitotic oligodendrocytes. MRF is a nuclear protein containing an evolutionarily conserved ...

..............................................................................................118 Figure 32. Fold change in Sox11 mRNA after L5 rhizotomy and sciatic nerve axotomy.........122 but not after L4 rhizotomy (Shortland et al., 2006). After injury to a nerve, a period of "dying back" from

BackgroundPeriventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a frequent complication of preterm delivery. Proinflammatory cytokines, such as interferon-? (IFN-?) and tumor necrosis factor ? (TNF-?) released from astrocytes and microglia activated by infection or ischemia have previously been shown to impair survival and maturation of oligodendrocyte progenitors and ...

Disruption of oligodendrocyte lineage progression is implicated in the white-matter injury that occurs in cerebral palsy. We have previously published a model in rabbits consistent with cerebral palsy. Little is known of normal white-matter development in perinatal rabbits. Using a multidimensional approach, we defined the relationship of oligodendrocyte ...

Differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) into mature oligodendrocytes requires extensive changes in gene expression, which are partly mediated by post-translational modifications of nucleosomal histones. An essential modification for oligodendrocyte differentiation is the removal of acetyl groups ...

Differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) into mature oligodendrocytes requires extensive changes in gene expression, which are partly mediated by post-translational modifications of nucleosomal histones. An essential modification for oligodendrocyte differentiation is the removal of acetyl groups ...

While both extrinsic and intrinsic factors have been identified that orchestrate the differentiation and maturation of oligodendrocytes, less is known about the intracellular signaling pathways that control the overall commitment to differentiate. Here, we provide evidence that activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is essential for ...

The controlling factors that prompt mature oligodendrocytes to myelinate axons are largely undetermined. In this study, we used a forward genetics approach to identify a mutant mouse strain characterized by the absence of CNS myelin despite the presence of abundant numbers of late-stage, process-extending oligodendrocytes. Through ...

The controlling factors that prompt mature oligodendrocytes to myelinate axons are largely undetermined. In this study, we used a forward genetics approach to identify a mutant mouse strain characterized by the absence of CNS myelin despite the presence of abundant numbers of late-stage, process-extending oligodendrocytes. Through ...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Exogenous cell replacement in MS lesions has been proposed as a means of achieving remyelination when endogenous remyelination has failed. However, the ability of exogenous cells to remyelinate axons in the presence of inflammation remains uncertain. We have explored the remyelinating capacity of an ...

Myelination is a central nervous system (CNS) process wherein oligodendrocyte-axon interactions lead to the establishment of myelin sheaths that stabilize, protect, and electrically insulate axons. In inflammatory demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), the degeneration and eventual loss of functional myelin sheaths slows and blocks saltatory conduction in ...

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) have become the focus of intense research, not only because they generate myelin-forming oligodendrocytes in the normal CNS, but because they may be suitable for transplantation to treat disorders in which myelin does not form or is damaged, and because they have stem-cell-like properties in that they can generate ...

The mammalian adult central nervous system (CNS) is known to respond rapidly to demyelinating insults by regenerating oligodendrocytes for remyelination from a dividing precursor population. A widespread population of cells exists within the adult CNS that is thought to belong to the oligodendrocyte lineage, but which do not express proteins characteristic ...

The small heat shock protein alphaB-crystallin was recently identified as a dominant human T-cell antigen in myelin derived from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Using immunohistochemical techniques, oligodendrocytes as well as astrocytes in MS lesions were shown to express alphaB-crystallin. In the present study we examined the expression of alphaB-crystallin, human natural ...

Experimentally induced autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice provides an animal model that shares many features with human demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). To what extent the cerebral cortex is affected by the process of demyelination and how the corollary response of the oligodendrocyte lineage is explicated are still not completely known aspects ...

Nogo-A has been considered as one of the most important myelin-associated axonal regeneration inhibitors in the central nervous system. Recent studies have demonstrated various additional physiological roles of Nogo family members. To understand the possible effect of Nogo-A on the differentiation of oligodendrocytes, antibodies against distinct extracellular domains of Nogo-A ...

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) results in neural cell death and white matter injury in premature infants. No therapeutic strategy is currently available against this disorder. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling suppresses oligodendrocyte development through basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors and promotes astrocytosis. Therefore, we hypothesized that ...

The proteolipid protein (Plp) gene promoter is responsible for driving expression of one of the major components of myelin--PLP and its splice variant DM-20. Both products are classically thought to express predominantly in oligodendrocytes. However, accumulating evidence suggests Plp expression is more widespread than previously thought. In an attempt to create a mouse model ...

Understanding the regulatory mechanisms controlling the fate decisions of neural stem cells (NSCs) is a crucial issue to shed new light on mammalian central nervous system (CNS) development in health and disease. We have investigated a possible role for the previously uncharacterized BTB/POZ-domain containing zinc finger factor Zbtb45 in the differentiation of NSCs and postnatal ...

The second post-natal week in rat is the period of the most intense oligodendrocyte development and myelination. This period coincides with peak iron import by oligodendrocytes. During that time oligodendrocyte progenitors (OPCs) are sensitive to agents that may disturb normal iron homeostasis and assimilation of iron into these cells. ...

The proteolipid protein (Plp) gene promoter is responsible for driving expression of one of the major components of myelin � PLP and its splice variant DM-20. Both products are classically thought to express predominantly in oligodendrocytes. However, accumulating evidence suggests Plp expression is more widespread than previously thought. In an attempt to create a mouse ...

... Chlamydia Persistence In vitro studies. 7000 X. 7000 X. CONTROL PERSISTENT. Large inclusions with enlarged, aberrant RBs; RBs do not divide and mature to EBs; ...

The NG2 proteoglycan has been shown to promote proliferation and motility in a variety of cell types. The presence of NG2 on oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) suggests that the proteoglycan may be a factor in expansion of the OPC pool to fill the entire central nervous system prior to OPC differentiation to form myelinating oligodendrocytes. ...

The technology to generate autologous pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) from almost any somatic cell type has brought various cell replacement therapies within clinical research. Besides the challenge to optimize iPS protocols to appropriate safety and GMP levels, procedures need to be developed to differentiate iPS cells into specific fully differentiated and functional cell types for ...

Myelin is critical in maintaining electrical impulse conduction in the central nervous system. The oligodendrocyte is the cell type responsible for myelin production within this compartment. The mutual supply of trophic support between oligodendrocytes and the underlying axons may indicate why demyelinated axons undergo degeneration more readily; the ...

Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by episodes of autoimmune attack of oligodendrocytes leading to demyelination and progressive functional deficits. Because many patients exhibit functional recovery in between demyelinating episodes, understanding mechanisms responsible for repair of damaged myelin is critical for developing therapies that promote ...

Progesterone treatment of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis has shown beneficial effects in the spinal cord according to enhanced clinical, myelin and neuronal-related parameters. In the present work, we report progesterone effects in a model of primary demyelination induced by the intraspinal injection of lysophospatidylcholine (LPC). C57Bl6 adult male mice remained ...

Acetylcholine (ACh) is a major neurotransmitter but also an important signaling molecule in neuron-glia interactions. Expression of ACh receptors has been reported in several glial cell populations, including oligodendrocytes. Nonetheless, the characterization of muscarinic receptors in these cells, as well as the description of the cholinergic effects at different stages of ...

Proliferative cells expressing proteoglycan neuron-glia 2 (NG2) are considered to represent parenchymal precursor cells in the adult brain and are thought to differentiate primarily into oligodendrocytes. We have studied cell genesis in the adult amygdala and found that, up to 1�year after the labeling of proliferating cells with bromodeoxyuridine, most proliferating NG2 ...

Following intracranial infection with the neurotropic JHM strain of mouse hepatitis virus (JHMV), susceptible mice will develop widespread myelin destruction that results in pathological and clinical outcomes similar to those seen in humans with the demyelinating disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Partial remyelination and clinical recovery occurs during the chronic phase following control of viral ...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) produces a significant loss of oligodendrocytes (OL) and demyelination. The oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) response includes a group of cellular changes in OPCs that are directed to replenish OL loss from the injury. However, this adaptive response is hampered and OPCs eventually die or fail to differentiate to ...

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) express NMDA receptors (NMDARs) and form synapses with glutamatergic neurons throughout the CNS. Although glutamate influences the proliferation and maturation of these progenitors in vitro, the role of NMDAR signaling in oligodendrogenesis and myelination in vivo is not known. Here, we investigated the consequences ...

Recent studies indicate that oligodendrocytes are vulnerable to excitotoxic insults mediated by glutamate receptors. The present study was carried out to characterize the type of glutamate receptors triggering cell death in optic nerve oligodendrocyte cultures. Acute activation of either AMPA or kainate receptors was toxic to ...

Oligodendrocytes (OLs) are glial cells of the central nervous system which produce myelin. Cultured OLs provide immense therapeutic opportunities for treating a variety of neurological conditions. One of the most promising sources for such therapies is human embryonic stem cells (ESCs), as well as providing a model to study human oligodendrocyte ...

The HMG-domain transcription factor Sox10 is expressed throughout oligodendrocyte development and is an important component of the transcriptional regulatory network in these myelin-forming CNS glia. Of the known Sox10 regulatory regions, only the evolutionary conserved U2 enhancer in the distal 5'-flank of the Sox10 gene exhibits oligodendroglial activity. We found that U2 ...

The HMG-domain transcription factor Sox10 is expressed throughout oligodendrocyte development and is an important component of the transcriptional regulatory network in these myelin-forming CNS glia. Of the known Sox10 regulatory regions, only the evolutionary conserved U2 enhancer in the distal 5?-flank of the Sox10 gene exhibits oligodendroglial activity. We found that U2 ...

The specificity of JHM virus (JHMV) tropism for rat oligodendrocytes, as one of the primary host cells in the central nervous system, is maintained after explanation (S. Beushausen and S. Dales, Virology 141:89-101, 1985). The temporal correlation between onset of resistance to JHMV infection in vivo, completion of myelination, and maturation of the ...

Membrane formation and the initiation of myelin gene expression are hallmarks of the differentiation of oligodendrocytes from their precursors. Here, we compared the roles of the two related extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoproteins Tenascin C (Tnc) and Tenascin R (Tnr) in oligodendrocyte differentiation. Oligodendrocyte precursors from ...

Highly purified oligodendroglial lineage cells from mice lacking functional bax and bak genes were resistant to apoptosis after in vitro differentiation, indicating an essential role of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in apoptosis of oligodendrocytes in the absence of neurons (axons) and other glial cells. These mice therefore provide a valuable tool with which to evaluate the ...

CNS myelin contains 2 membrane proteins that are potent inhibitors of neurite growth (NI-35 and NI-250). Because myelin formation starts at different times in different regions and tracts of the CNS, this inhibitory property of myelin could serve boundary and guidance functions for late-growing fiber tracts. In the rat, the corticospinal tract (CST) grows into and down the spinal cord during the ...

Glutamate released from synaptic vesicles mediates excitatory neurotransmission by stimulating glutamate receptors. Glutamate transporters maintain low synaptic glutamate levels critical for this process, a role primarily attributed to astrocytes. Recently, vesicular release of glutamate from unmyelinated axons in the rat corpus callosum has been shown to elicit AMPA receptor-mediated currents in ...

Glutamate released from synaptic vesicles mediates excitatory neurotransmission by stimulating glutamate receptors. Glutamate transporters maintain low synaptic glutamate levels critical for this process, a role primarily attributed to astrocytes. Recently, vesicular release of glutamate from unmyelinated axons in the rat corpus callosum has been shown to elicit AMPA receptor-mediated currents in ...

Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) hold great promise for the treatment of patients with many neurodegenerative diseases particularly those arising from cell loss or neural dysfunction including spinal cord injury. This study evaluates the therapeutic effects of transplanted hESC-derived oligodendrocyte progenitors (OPC) and/or motoneuron progenitors (MP) on axonal ...

Remyelination in the adult central nervous system has been demonstrated in different experimental models of demyelinating diseases. However, there is no clear evidence that remyelination occurs in multiple sclerosis, the most diffuse demyelinating disease. In this article, we explore the possibility of promoting myelination in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, a widely used experimental ...

In white matter disorders such as leukodystrophies (LD), periventricular leucomalacia (PVL), or multiple sclerosis (MS), the hypomyelination or the remyelination failure by oligodendrocyte progenitor cells involves errors in the sequence of events that normally occur during development when progenitors proliferate, migrate through the white matter, contact the axon, and ...

Cycling glial precursors-"NG2-glia"-are abundant in the developing and mature central nervous system (CNS). During development, they generate oligodendrocytes. In culture, they can revert to a multipotent state, suggesting that they might have latent stem cell potential that could be harnessed to treat neurodegenerative disease. This hope has been subdued ...

SummaryCycling glial precursors - �NG2-glia� - are abundant in the developing and mature central nervous system (CNS). During development they generate oligodendrocytes. In culture, they can revert to a multipotent state, suggesting that they might have latent stem cell potential that could be harnessed to treat neurodegenerative disease. This hope has ...

White matter damage is a clinically important part of stroke. However, compared to the mechanisms of neuronal injury in gray matter, white matter pathophysiology remains relatively understudied and poorly understood. This mini-review aims at summarizing current knowledge on experimental systems for analyzing the role of white matter injury relevant to stroke. In vitro platforms comprise primary ...

Experimental animals with myelin disorders can be treated by transplanting oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) into the affected brain or spinal cord. OPCs have been isolated by their expression of gangliosides recognized by mAb A2B5, but this marker also identifies lineage-restricted astrocytes and immature neurons. To establish a more efficient means of isolating ...

Postnatal oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) self-renew, generate mature oligodendrocytes, and are�a cellular origin of oligodendrogliomas. We show that the proteoglycan NG2 segregates asymmetrically during mitosis to generate OPC cells of distinct fate. NG2 is required for asymmetric segregation of EGFR to the NG2(+) progeny, ...

BackgroundContusive spinal cord injury is complicated by a delayed loss of oligodendrocytes, resulting in chronic progressive demyelination. Therefore, transplantation strategies to provide oligodendrocyte lineage cells and to enhance the extent of myelination appear to be justified for spinal cord repair. The present study investigated whether ...

NG2-expressing oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are ubiquitous and generate oligodendrocytes throughout the young and adult brain. Previous work has shown that virtually every NG2 cell receives synaptic input from many axons, but the meaning of this signaling is not understood. In particular, it is unclear whether neurons specifically synapse onto ...

ABCA2 protein belongs to the ABCA subclass of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters proposed to exert critical functions in transmembrane transport of endogenous lipids. In this study, we found by immunoblot analyses that approximately 260 kDa of ABCA2 protein is expressed predominantly in oligodendrocytes, and that the expression of the protein is upregulated in the brain ...

BackgroundWhile several mouse strains have recently been developed for tracing neural crest or oligodendrocyte lineages, each strain has inherent limitations. The connection between human SOX10 mutations and neural crest cell pathogenesis led us to focus on the Sox10 gene, which is critical for neural crest development. We generated Sox10-Venus BAC transgenic mice to monitor ...

BackgroundCell�based therapy holds great promises for demyelinating diseases. Human-derived fetal and adult oligodendrocyte progenitors (OPC) gave encouraging results in experimental models of dysmyelination but their limited proliferation in vitro and their potential immunogenicity might restrict their use in clinical applications. Virtually unlimited numbers of ...

Oligodendrocytes are the myelinating cells of the central nervous system. While the CNS possesses the ability to repair demyelinating insults, in certain cases, such as the chronic lesions found in multiple sclerosis, remyelination fails. Cycling cells capable of becoming oligodendrocytes have been identified in both the developing and adult mammalian ...

NG2 cells express the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan NG2 and are a fourth type of glia distinct from astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. NG2 cells generate oligodendrocytes but have also been reported to represent neuronal progenitor cells in the postnatal mouse subventricular zone (SVZ). We performed a detailed immunohistochemical analysis of ...

Demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system are among the most crippling neurological diseases affecting patients at various stages of life. In the most prominent demyelinating disease, multiple sclerosis, the regeneration of myelin sheaths often fails due to a default of the resident stem/precursor cells (oligodendrocyte precursor cells) to differentiate into ...

Understanding the cell-cell interactions that control CNS development and function has long been limited by the lack of methods to cleanly separate neural cell types. Here we describe methods for the prospective isolation and purification of astrocytes, neurons, and oligodendrocytes from developing and mature mouse forebrain. We used FACS ...

In the present study, we hypothesized that thymosin beta 4 (Tbeta4) is a potential therapy of multiple sclerosis (MS). To test this hypothesis, SJL/J mice (n=21) were subjected to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS. EAE mice were treated with saline or Tbeta4 (6 mg/kg, n=10) every 3 days starting on the day of myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) immunization for ...

During normal brain development, axons are myelinated by mature oligodendrocytes (OLGs). Under pathological, demyelinating conditions within the central nervous system (CNS), axonal remyelination is only partially successful because oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) largely remain in an undifferentiated state resulting in a ...

OBJECTIVE: Perinatal inflammation is a major risk factor for neurological deficits in preterm infants. Several experimental studies have shown that systemic inflammation can alter the programming of the developing brain. However, these studies do not offer detailed pathophysiological mechanisms, and they rely on relatively severe infectious or inflammatory stimuli that most likely do not reflect ...

Reactive gliosis, demyelination and proliferation of NG2+ oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPC) are common responses to spinal cord injury (SCI). We previously reported that short-term progesterone treatment stimulates OPC proliferation whereas chronic treatment enhances OPC differentiation after SCI. Presently, we further studied the proliferation/differentiation of glial ...

Mesoangioblasts are vessel-derived stem cells that differentiate into mesodermal derivatives. We have isolated postnatal aorta-derived mesoangioblasts (ADM) that differentiate into smooth, skeletal, and cardiac muscle, and adipocytes, and regenerate damaged skeletal muscle in a murine model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We report the marker profile of ADM is similar to that of mesoangioblasts ...

We examined developmental characteristics of the ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCA2 (or ABC2) -expressing cells in rat spinal cord and peripheral nerves. In adult spinal cord, ABCA2 immunoreactivity was detected in lysosome-like organelles of mature oligodendrocyte cell bodies, and a single specific band was detected by Western blot analysis. In ...

Adaptive optics (AO), a mature technology developed for astronomy to compensate for the effects of atmospheric turbulence, can also be used to correct the aberrations of the eye. The classic phoropter is used by ophthalmologists and optometrists to estimate and correct the lower-order aberrations of the eye, defocus and astigmatism, in ...

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of melatonin treatment in a rat model of white matter damage (WMD) in the developing brain. Additionally, we aim to delineate the cellular mechanisms of melatonin effect on the oligodendroglial cell lineage.MethodsA unilateral ligation of the uterine artery in pregnant rat at the embryonic day 17 induces fetal hypoxia and subsequent growth restriction (GR) in ...

Chemokines play a pivotal role in the maturation of the immune system, and in the initiation, and maintenance of an immune response. Because of their key role in the immune response, the aberrant expression of chemokines can have a profound effect on the ...

Chemokines play a pivotal role in the maturation of the immune system, and in the initiation, and maintenance of an immune response. Because of their key role in the immune response, the aberrant expression of chemokines can have a profound effect on the ...

Chemokines play a pivotal role in the maturation of the immune system, and in the initiation, and maintenance of an immune response. Because of their key role in the immune response, the aberrant expression of chemokines can have a profound effect on the ...

Adaptive optics (AO), a mature technology developed for astronomy to compensate for the effects of atmospheric turbulence, can also be used to correct the aberrations of the eye. The classic phoropter is used by ophthalmologists and optometrists to estima...

... A. A. Haidri. Requirements for the maturation of hamster oocytes in vitro. Exp Cell Res 1973. 76: ... B. D. Bavister. Vitamins and amino acids stimulate hamster blastocysts to hatch in vitro. J Exp Zool ....

BACKGROUND: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common known heritable cause of intellectual disability. Prior studies in FXS have observed a plateau in cognitive and adaptive behavioral development in early adolescence, suggesting that brain development in FXS may diverge from typical development during this period. METHODS: In this study, we examined adolescent brain development using ...

In this issue of Cancer Cell, Kikushige et�al. report the surprising finding that, in human chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) aberrantly generate clonal B cells with CLL-like phenotypes, which implicate HSC in the pathogenesis of this mature lymphoid malignancy and has major implications for CLL therapies. PMID:21840478

Deciphering the mechanisms regulating the generation of new neurons and new oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cells of the central nervous system, is of paramount importance to address new strategies to replace endogenous damaged cells in the adult brain and foster repair in neurodegenerative diseases. Upon brain injury, the extracellular concentrations of nucleotides and ...

BackgroundCells of the oligodendrocyte (OL) lineage play a vital role in the production and maintenance of myelin, a multilamellar membrane which allows for saltatory conduction along axons. These cells may provide immense therapeutic potential for lost sensory and motor function in demyelinating conditions, such as spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and transverse ...

Substances that promote the growth and maturation of oligodendrocytes and their precursors might protect against white matter injury. We suggest that neuroprotection can also be provided by such modulators of fetal and neonatal inflammatory responses as antiinflammatory cytokines, cytokine-binding proteins, and cytokine-receptor blockers. We briefly ...