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Repair of demyelinated lesions by transplantation of purified 0-2A progenitor cells

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Abstract

THE transplantation of well defined populations of precursor cells offers a means of repairing damaged tissue and of delivering therapeutic compounds to sites of injury or degeneration. For example, a functional immune system can be reconstituted by transplantation of purified haematopoietic stem cells1, and transplanted skeletal myoblasts and keratinocytes can participate in the formation of normal tissue in host animals2–4. Cell transplantation in the central nervous system (CNS) has been proposed as a means of correcting neuronal dysfunction in diseases associated with neuronal loss5–7; it might also rectify glial cell dysfunction, with transplanted oligodendrocyte precursor cells eventually allowing repair of demyelinating damage in the CNS. Here we use co-operating growth factors to expand purified populations of oligodendrocyte type-2 astrocyte (O-2A) progenitor cells for several weeks in vitro. When injected into demyelinating lesionsin spinal cords of adult rats, created in such a way as to preclude host-mediated remyelination, these expanded populations are capable of producing extensive remyelination. In addition, transplantation of O-2A progenitor cells genetically modified to express the bacterial β-galactosidase gene gives rise to β-galactosidase-positive oligodendrocytes which remyelinate demyelinated axons within the lesion. These results offer a viable strategy for the manipulation of neural precursor cells which is compatible with attempts to repair damaged CNS tissue by precursor transplantation.

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Author notes

  1. A. K. Groves

    Present address: Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA

  2. W. F. Blakemore and M. Noble: To either of whom correspondence should be addressed.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, 91 Riding House Street, London, W1P 8BT, UK

    A. K. Groves, M. Mayer & M. Noble

  2. CRC Beatson Laboratories, Department of Medical Oncology and Neurobiology, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1BD, UK

    S. C. Barnett

  3. MRC Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair and Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OES, UK

    R. J. M. Franklin, A. J. Crang & W. F. Blakemore

Authors
  1. A. K. Groves
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  2. S. C. Barnett
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  3. R. J. M. Franklin
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  4. A. J. Crang
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  5. M. Mayer
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  6. W. F. Blakemore
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  7. M. Noble
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Groves, A., Barnett, S., Franklin, R. et al. Repair of demyelinated lesions by transplantation of purified 0-2A progenitor cells. Nature 362, 453–455 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/362453a0

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