Proliferating bipotential glial progenitor cells in adult rat optic nerve.
We have shown previously that the rat optic nerve contains three types of macroglial cells--oligodendrocytes and two types of astrocytes--which develop as two distinct lineages. Type-1 astrocytes develop from one type of precursor cell beginning at embryonic day 16 (E16), while oligodendrocytes and then type-2 astrocytes develop from a common, bipotential progenitor cell beginning at birth (E21) and postnatal days 7-10 (P7-10), respectively. Here we report that proliferating bipotential oligodendrocyte-type-2 astrocyte (0-2A) progenitor cells are present in the adult rat optic nerve, raising the possibility that these cells are produced continually from self-renewing stem cells throughout life.
D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000187:drug effects; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D011107:Polylysine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D011107:Polylysine