Remyelination of demyelinated rat axons by transplanted mouse oligodendrocytes.
The injection of the gliotoxic agent ethidium bromide (EB) into spinal white matter produces a CNS lesion in which it is possible to investigate the ability of transplanted glial cells to reconstruct a glial environment around demyelinated axons. This study demonstrates that transplanted mouse glial cells can repopulate EB lesions in rats provided tissue rejection is controlled. In X-irradiated EB lesions in cyclosporin-A-treated rats, mouse oligodendrocytes remyelinated rat axons and, together with mouse astrocytes, re-established a CNS environment. When transplanted into nonirradiated EB lesions in nude rats, mouse glial cells modulated the normal host repair by Schwann cells to remyelination by oligodendrocytes. In both X-irradiated and non-irradiated EB lesions, transplanted mouse glial cells behaved similarly to isogenic rat glial cell transplants (Blakemore and Crang Dev Neurosci, 1988;10:1-10; J Neurocytol, 1989;18:519-528). These findings indicate that the cell-cell interactions involved in reconstruction of a glial environment are common to both mouse and rat.
Crang
A J
AJ
Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Blakemore
W F
WF
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000494:pharmacology; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004996:Ethidium / Q000633:toxicity; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000502:physiology*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000637:transplantation*; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D011923:Rats, Nude; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
D003524:Cyclosporins; D004996:Ethidium