title: Normal temporal and spatial distribution of oligodendrocyte progenitors in the myelin-deficient (md) rat.
abstract: A point mutation in exon 3 of the proteolipid protein (PLP) gene of the myelin-deficient (md) rat leads to a failure of oligodendrocyte maturation and early death of oligodendrocytes, resulting in dysmyelination. It has been suggested that an alternative-splice isoform of PLP, known as DM-20, might be expressed in oligodendrocyte progenitors in the embryonic central nervous system (CNS), raising the possibility that early development of the oligodendrocyte lineage might also be affected in the md rat. To test this suggestion, we visualized oligodendrocyte progenitors in the embryonic md rat spinal cord and brain by in situ hybridization with a probe to the platelet-derived growth factor alpha receptor (PDGFR). We could detect no abnormalities in the time of first appearance of oligodendrocyte precursors, nor in their subsequent proliferation and dispersal throughout the CNS. These data strongly suggest that the PLP mutation in the md rat primarily or exclusively affects the later stages of oligodendrocyte lineage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706, USA.
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Pringle
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Nadon
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Rhode
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Duncan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002452:Cell Count; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006579:Heterozygote; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D018991:Myelin Proteolipid Protein / Q000235:genetics*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000166:cytology*; D017354:Point Mutation / Q000502:physiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D011922:Rats, Mutant Strains; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020796:Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha; D017479:Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D018991:Myelin Proteolipid Protein; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020796:Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha; D017479:Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor