A STUDY OF THE POTENTIAL OF THE EMBRYONIC RAT TELENCEPHALON TO GENERATE OLIGODENDROCYTES

A major question in neural development is whether each part of the tel encephalon has an equal potential to generate each cell type. In this study, we address this question specifically in regard to the generati on of oligodendrocytes. We cultured precursor cells from two different regions of the rat embryonic telencephalon-the ganglionic eminence an d the anlage of the cerebral cortex-from different stages of developme nt, and labeled the cells with a retroviral vector to follow their fat e. We discovered that multipotential precursor cells from E13 ganglion ic eminence have several orders of magnitude higher capacity to genera te oligodendrocyte than the equivalent cells from E13 cerebral cortex. This failure of cortical precursor cells to generate oligodendrocytes at early developmental stages (E12-E13) could not be reversed by grow th factors, permissive growth media, or a permissive striatal cell env ironment. A combination of striatal contact and plus specific growth f actors, however, did induce the production of oligodendrocytes. We con clude that telencephalic precursor cells do have the potential to gene rate oligodendrocytes, but that this potential is significantly greate r in striatal than cortical multipotential precursor cells. (C) 1998 A cademic Press.