Towards the reconstruction of central nervous system white matter using neural precursor cells

Epidermal growth factor-responsive neural precursor cells were used as dono r cells for transplantation into wild-type and myelin-deficient shiverer (s hi) mice. The cells engrafted robustly within the CNS following intracerebr oventricular and cisternal transplantation in neonatal mice. The cells adop ted glial phenotypes, and some functioned as oligodendrocytes, producing my elin basic protein and morphologically normal internodal myelin sheaths. Wh en individual shi mice received two transplants (on post-natal days 1 and 3 ), donor-derived cells disseminated widely and expressed myelin basic prote in in central white matter tracts throughout the brain.