title: Cellular and molecular characterization of multipolar Map5-expressing cells: a subset of newly generated, stage-specific parenchymal cells in the mammalian central nervous system.
abstract: Although extremely interesting in adult neuro-glio-genesis and promising as an endogenous source for repair, parenchymal progenitors remain largely obscure in their identity and physiology, due to a scarce availability of stage-specific markers. What appears difficult is the distinction between real cell populations and various differentiation stages of the same population. Here we focused on a subset of multipolar, polydendrocyte-like cells (mMap5 cells) expressing the microtubule associated protein 5 (Map5), which is known to be present in most neurons. We characterized the morphology, phenotype, regional distribution, proliferative dynamics, and stage-specific marker expression of these cells in the rabbit and mouse CNS, also assessing their existence in other mammalian species. mMap5 cells were never found to co-express the Ng2 antigen. They appear to be a population of glial cells sharing features but also differences with Ng2+progenitor cells. We show that mMap5 cells are newly generated, postmitotic parenchymal elements of the oligodendroglial lineage, thus being a stage-specific population of polydendrocytes. Finally, we report that the number of mMap5 cells, although reduced within the brain of adult/old animals, can increase in neurodegenerative and traumatic conditions.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi and Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Crociara
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Parolisi
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Conte
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fumagalli
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonfanti
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D048430:Cell Shape; D002470:Cell Survival; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008322:Mammals / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000473:pathology; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010641:Phenotype; D011817:Rabbits; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; C085284:microtubule-associated protein 1B; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine