title: Oligodendrocyte-type 2 astrocyte (O-2A) progenitor cells from neonatal and adult rat optic nerve differ in their responsiveness to platelet-derived growth factor.
abstract: We have investigated, in vitro, the mitogenic responsiveness to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) of oligodendrocyte-type 2 astrocyte (O-2A) progenitor cells isolated from adult rat optic nerve and their differentiation into oligodendrocytes. Progenitor cells from adult optic nerves differentiate into oligodendrocytes in a limiting concentration of foetal calf serum more slowly than in cultures of neonatal cells. Nevertheless, differentiation of oligodendrocytes from progenitors is nearly complete by 6 days in vitro, with 50% expressing galactocerebroside by 4-5 days. In these experiments, adult optic nerve cells were grown in medium containing PDGF, a potent mitogen for neonatal O-2A progenitor cells, and yet the decline in numbers of O-2A progenitor cells matches the rise in oligodendrocyte numbers. We suggest that this is because adult O-2A progenitor cells differ from their neonatal counterparts and do not show the same proliferative response in the presence of exogenous PDGF. We tested this hypothesis by a quantitative autoradiographic analysis of tritiated thymidine-labelled nuclei, comparing percentages of labelled adult and neonatal O-2A lineage glial cells in low-serum medium, in the presence of absence of PDGF, with their response to a monolayer of neonatal rat cortical type 1 astrocytes or astrocyte-conditioned medium. Whereas, adult O-2A progenitors responded to astrocyte monolayers and to conditioned medium from astrocyte cultures, there was no dose-dependent response to PDGF-BB over a wide range of concentrations. Antibodies to human PDGF neutralise the growth-promoting activity of astrocyte-conditioned medium for neonatal O-2A cells but do not neutralise astrocyte-conditioned medium stimulation of adult O-2A progenitor cells. This indicates that the principal astrocyte-derived growth factor(s) for adult O-2A progenitor cells is unlikely to be PDGF.
authors: Anatomy Department, United Medical School, Guy's campus, London, U.K.
authors: C L
authors: CL
authors: Chan
authors: C B
authors: CB
authors: Wigley
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Berry
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development*; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000187:drug effects*; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D014316:Tritium; D013936:Thymidine