title: Cell death and control of cell survival in the oligodendrocyte lineage.
abstract: Dead cells are observed in many developing animal tissues, but the causes of these normal cell deaths are mostly unknown. We show that about 50% of oligodendrocytes normally die in the developing rat optic nerve, apparently as a result of a competition for limiting amounts of survival signals. Both platelet-derived growth factor and insulin-like growth factors are survival factors for newly formed oligodendrocytes and their precursors in culture. Increasing platelet-derived growth factor in the developing optic nerve decreases normal oligodendrocyte death by up to 90% and doubles the number of oligodendrocytes in 4 days. These results suggest that a requirement for survival signals is more general than previously thought and that some normal cell deaths in nonneural tissues may also reflect competition for survival factors.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Developmental Neurobiology Programme, University College, London, England.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Barres
authors.forename: I K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Coles
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Burne
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Voyvodic
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Raff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II