INFLAMMATION PROMOTES SURVIVAL AND MIGRATION OF THE CG4 OLIGODENDROCYTE PROGENITORS TRANSPLANTED IN THE SPINAL GORD OF BOTH INFLAMMATORY AND DEMYELINATED EAE RATS

Oligodendrocyte progenitor CG4 cells were labeled with bisbenzimide an d transplanted in the lumbar spinal cord of rats 15 to 17 days prior t o the induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). EA E was induced by immunization with the encephalitogenic peptide of mye lin basic protein (amino acids 68-88; C1) in adjuvant, either alone or in combination with a single injection of an anti-myelin oligodendroc yte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody to enhance central nervous system (CNS ) demyelination, In control animals without EAE, the survival and migr ation capacity of CG4 cells was minimal, In striking contrast, both th e survival and migration of this oligodendrocyte progenitor cell line were greatly enhanced in animals with EAE, In both disease models, lar ge number of CG4 cells were still found in the spinal cord 50 days aft er transplantation, by which time they had migrated up to 6 cm from th e transplantation site, Migrating CG4 cells were found in the subpial space, around the ependyma and blood vessels, and as well as in the gr ey and white matter of the CNS parenchyma, In all these locations, the CG4 cells were often associated with reactive astrocytes. These data strongly support the concept that inflammatory responses within the CN S promote, rather than inhibit, the survival and migration of transpla nted oligodendrocyte progenitors in the adult CNS. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss , Inc.