SPONTANEOUS ORIENTATION OF TRANSPLANTED OLFACTORY GLIA INFLUENCES AXONAL REGENERATION

TRANSPLANTED olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) have previously been d emonstrated to support axonal growth and myelination in the adult rat CNS. Here, the capacity of donor OECs to control the direction of axon al regeneration has been investigated following transplantation, as el ongated columns, into the thalamus of adult rats. The OECs formed a 'g lial bridge' which extended from the thalamus to the hippocampus. Tran splanted OECs rapidly adopted a spindle-shaped morphology which was or ientated along the vertical axis of the transplant. Numerous host axon s grew into the transplants and followed the highly orientated OEC cel l matrix across the choroid fissure. Thus, the spontaneous elongation and orientation of donor OECs may support highly directional host axon al growth across natural barriers within the CNS. NeuroReport 9: 2871- 2975 (C) 1998 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.