A morphological and biochemical study of the myelin-like membrane structures formed in cultures of pure oligodendrocytes.
This study reports the production of myelin-like membranes in oligodendrocyte subcultures derived from 20-day-old primary glial cell cultures of newborn rat brain. These multi-layered structures show a variable number of membrane turns; up to 10 concentric lamellae are found in 3- to 4-week-old subcultures. When they are compacted, alternate dense and intraperiodic lines with a periodicity of 11.2 nm are noticeable. The most typical myelin proteins were detected straight on the multi-lammellar structures by a gold immunocytochemical method. Subcellular fractions containing these myelin-like structures were isolated by ultracentrifugation on a discontinuous sucrose gradient. They were analysed by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting; UDP-galactose: ceramide galactosyltransferase and 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase activities were also measured. The results indicate that the multi-layered membrane profiles have many characteristics of the myelin found in vivo; nevertheless some differences were still apparent. Our data support the concept of the cultured oligodendrocytes expressing the intrinsic myelinogenic properties and possessing a basic developmental program of myelination, apparently in the absence of stimuli coming from other brain cells.
Nussbaum
J L
JL
Centre de Neurochimie du CNRS and U44 de l'INSERM, Strasbourg, France.
Espinosa de los Monteros
A
A
Pari
F M
FM
Doerr-Schott
J
J
Roussel
G
G
Neskovic
N M
NM
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000032:analysis; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009185:Myelin Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000032:analysis* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000032:analysis*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000032:analysis* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000032:analysis
D009185:Myelin Proteins