ANALYSIS OF MOTILE OLIGODENDROCYTE PRECURSOR CELLS IN-VITRO AND IN BRAIN-SLICES

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells are purported to migrate over long dis tances into the various brain regions where they differentiate into ol igodendrocytes and fulfill their appropriate tasks, i.e., myelination of axons. Here we characeterize motile oligodendrocyte precursor cells in detail. Video-time lapse analysis was performed on isolated precur sor cells in single cell cultures, in co-culture with cerebellar micro explants, and in living brain slices. Motility analysis of individual cells was combined with electrophysiological, immunological, and morph ological characterizations. Translocation of the cell bodies was not c ontinuous but occurred in waves. All motile cells exhibited a simple m orphology and most, but not all, of them expressed the A2B5 epitope in vitro. Patch clamp analysis of the motile cells confirmed that they b elong to the O-2A lineage. The percentage of motile cells, as well as their velocities, were enhanced on substrate-coated laminin in compari son to poly-L-lysine. Motility was not influenced by the presence of c erebellar microexplants. O-2A progenitor cells did not migrate strictl y along neurite fascicles which were projected from the microexplants. Glial progenitor cells in situ also did not strictly migrate along th e main direction of the axonal fibers of the corpus callosum but rathe r traversed the fibers with an overall direction toward the cortex. Af ter Lucifer Yellow filling of the motile progenitor cells in situ, we could demonstrate that they were dye-coupled to yet unidentified cells of the corpus callosum. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.