title: Enhanced growth and morphological differentiation of isolated adult rat oligodendrocytes in vitro: use of a naturally produced extracellular matrix.
abstract: Attachment, growth and morphological differentiation of isolated adult rat oligodendrocytes cultured on a naturally produced basement membrane-like extracellular matrix (ECM) occurred much faster than on poly-L-lysine (PLL) coated tissue culture dishes. In each individual trial the cells cultured on ECM exhibited, within 3-5 days in culture, a massive outgrowth of long and branched cytoplasmic processes. Outgrowth to such an extent, using PLL or plastic tissue culture dishes, was not observed even after 2 weeks in culture. The successful high plating efficiency, rapid growth and network formation as well as its resemblance to the in vivo environment of cells make this naturally produced substrate a superior substitute for PLL and therefore more attractive for studying the behavior and function of oligodendrocytes in vitro.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000502:physiology*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats