EXPRESSION OF CELL-SURFACE MARKERS AND MYELIN PROTEINS IN CULTURED OLIGODENDROCYTES FROM NEONATAL BRAIN OF RAT AND MOUSE - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY

Dissociated brain cell cultures are a useful model for investigating d evelopment and differentiation of oligodendrocytes in vitro. The curre nt studies compare the developmental patterns of expression for oligod endrocyte lineage/myelin markers in both primary and secondary oligode ndrocyte cultures derived from mouse and rat neonates. The rat and mou se dissociated brain cell cultures express the same myelin-specific an tigens, but mouse oligodendrocytes produce a larger and more elaborate sheet-like membrane than rat oligodendrocytes, and some of the myelin markers (O4, GC, and MBP) show more intense membrane staining in mous e cultures. GD(3) appears to be a good oligodendrocyte marker for rat cells, but it is nonspecific in mouse cells. There are fewer oligodend rocytes in mouse cultures, and they appear to require a longer differe ntiation time than rat oligodendrocytes. These same results are also o bserved in secondary oligodendrocyte cultures, although in general lat e myelin markers such as MBP and PLP are expressed at a much lower lev el in mouse cells than rat cells.