Interactions of CNS cells lead to the establishment of complex neural systems. Specifically, oligodendrocytes form myelin sheaths around axons that enable rapid electrical conduction of impulses. Recent evidence has emerged that oligodendrocytes may also release trophic factors promoting neuronal survival. We therefore studied the effects of factors released from cells of the oligodendrocyte li...

There is a class of oligodendrocyte progenitors, called O-2A progenitors, that is characterized by expression of platelet-derived growth factor &agr;-receptors (PDGFR(&agr;)). It is not known whether all oligodendrocytes are derived from these PDGFRalpha-progenitors or whether a subset(s) of oligodendrocytes develops from a different, PDGFR alpha-negative lineage(s). We investigated the relatio...

In this study, we have investigated the global impact of heterogeneous nuclear Ribonuclear Protein (hnRNP) H/F-mediated regulation of splicing events and gene expression in oligodendrocytes. We have performed a genome-wide transcriptomic analysis at the gene and exon levels in Oli-neu cells treated with siRNA that targets hnRNPH/F compared to untreated cells using Affymetrix Exon Array. Gene ex...

Oligodendrocytes are the myelin-forming cells in the central nervous system. In the brain, oligodendrocyte precursors arise in multiple restricted foci, distributed along the caudorostral axis of the ventricular neuroepithelium. In chick embryonic hind-, mid- and caudal forebrain, oligodendrocytes have a basoventral origin, while in the rostral fore-brain oligodendrocytes emerge from alar terri...

Wrapping of the myelin sheath around axons by oligodendrocytes is critical for the rapid conduction of electrical signals required for the normal functioning of the CNS. Myelination is a multistep process where oligodendrocytes progress through a well coordinated differentiation program regulated by multiple extracellular growth and differentiation signals. The intracellular transduction of the...

Comparisons have been made of myelinogenic activities in fetal rat brain mixed primary cultures and cultures of isolated oligodendrocytes of comparable age. The specific activities of the sulfatide synthesis, 2',3'-cyclic-nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase (2',3'-cyclic-nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase, EC 3.1.4.37), and accumulation of myelin basic protein, when expressed per mg of protein, were as...

We have used antibodies to identify Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes and to study the expression of myelin-specific glycolipids and proteins in these cells isolated from perinatal rats. Our findings suggest that only Schwann cells which have been induced to myelinate make detectable amounts of galactocerebroside (GC), sulfatide, myelin basic protein (BP), or the major peripheral myelin glycop...

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Brain ischemia leading to stroke is a major cause of disability in developed countries. Therapeutic strategies have most commonly focused on protecting neurons from ischemic damage. However, ischemic damage to white matter causes oligodendrocyte death, myelin disruption, and axon dysfunction, and it is partially mediated by glutamate excitotoxicity. We have previously demonstrated that oligoden...

We have previously shown that generation of sublytic C5b-9, the membrane attack complex of complement, induces oligodendrocytes to enter cell cycle and reduces apoptotic cell death in vitro. In the present study, the cellular factors involved in apoptosis of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and oligodendrocytes, and the inhibitory effect of C5b-9 on apoptotic process were investigated. Oligoden...