Summary
Remyelination of ethidium bromide induced areas of demyelination in the adult rat spinal cord is normally carried out by Schwann cells. When CNS cultures containing large numbers of oligodendrocytes, oligodendrocyte precursors and type-1 astrocytes were injected into such lesions 3 days after the injection of ethidium bromide, remyelination was carried out by oligodendrocytes. When cultures deficient in type-1 astrocytes, prepared by shaking off and subculturing top-dwelling cells, were used there was only a modest increase in the extent of oligodendrocyte remyelination over that seen in uninjected lesions; the majority of axons being remyelinated by Schwann cells. To prove that these Schwann cells were mainly locally derived, shaken cultures were injected into lesions prepared in areas of the spinal cord locally X-irradiated with 40 Grays to inhibit host repair. In these animals the extent of oligodendrocyte remyelination achieved was similar to that seen when unshaken cultures (rich in type-1 astrocytes) were injected into lesions made in non-irradiated tissue. These results indicate that type-1 astrocytes control Schwann cell remyelination of CNS axons.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
BLAKEMORE, W. F. (1976) Invasion of Schwann cells into the spinal cord of the rat following local injections of lysolecithin.Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 2, 21–39.
BLAKEMORE, W. F. (1984) Limited remyelination of CNS axons by Schwann cells transplanted into the subarachnoid space.Journal of the Neurological Sciences 64, 265–76.
BLAKEMORE, W. F. & PATTERSON, R. C. (1978) Suppression of remyelination in the CNS by X-irradiation.Acta Neuropathologica 42, 105–13.
BLAKEMORE, W. F. & CRANG, A. J. (1985) The use of cultured autologous Schwann cells to remyelinate areas of persistent demyelination in the central nervous system.Journal of the Neurological Sciences 70, 207–23.
BLAKEMORE, W. F., CRANG, A. J. & CURTIS, R. (1986) The interaction of Schwann cells with CNS axons in regions containing normal astrocytes.Acta Neuropathologica 71, 295–300.
BLAKEMORE, W. F., CRANG, A. J. & PATTERSON, R. C. (1987) Schwann cell remyelination of CNS axons following injection of cultures of CNS cells into areas of persistent demyelination.Neuroscience Letters 77, 20–4.
BLAKEMORE, W. F. & CRANG, A. J. (1988) Extensive oligodendrocyte remyelination following injection of cultured central nervous system cells into demyelinating lesions in the adult central nervous system.Developmental Neuroscience 10, 1–11.
CRANG, A. J. & BLAKEMORE, W. F. (1989) The effect of the number of oligodendrocytes transplanted into X-irradiated, glial free lesions on the extent of oligodendrocyte remyelination.Neuroscience Letters, in press.
DUNCAN, I. D., HAMMANG, J. P., JACKSON, K. F., WOOD, P. M., BUNGE, R. P. & LANGFORD, L. (1988) Transplantation of oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells into the spinal cord of the myelin-deficient rat.Journal of Neurocytology 17, 351–60.
EISENBARTH, G. S., WALSH, F. S. & NIREMBERG, M. (1979) Monoclonal antibody to a plasma membrane antigen of neurons.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 76, 4913–7.
FFRENCH-CONSTANT, C. & RAFF, M. C. (1986) The oligodendrocyte-type-2 astrocyte cell lineage is specialized for myelination.Nature 323, 335–8.
FRIEDMAN, E., NILAVER, G., CARMEL, P., PERLOW, M., SPATZ, L. & LATOV, N. (1986) Myelination by transplanted fetal and neonatal oligodendrocytes in a dysmyelinating mutant.Brain Research 378, 142–6.
GOUT, O., GANSMÜLLER, A., BAUMANN, N. & GUMPEL, M. (1988) Remyelination by transplanted oligodendrocytes of a demyelinated lesion in the spinal cord of the adult shiverer mouse.Neuroscience Letters 87, 195–9.
GRAÇA, D. L. & BLAKEMORE, W. F. (1986) Delayed remyelination in the rat spinal cord following ethidium bromide injection.Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 12, 593–605.
GRIFFIN, J. W., DRUCKER, N., GOLD, B. G., ROSENFELD, J., BENZAQUEN, M., CHARNAS, R. C., FAHNESTOCK, K. E. & STOCKS, E. A. (1987) Schwann cell proliferation and migration during paranodal demyelination.Journal of Neuroscience 7, 682–99.
GUMPEL, M., BAUMANN, N. RAOUL, M. & JACQUE, C. (1983) Survival and differentiation of oligodendrocytes from neural tissue transplanted into new-born mouse brain.Neuroscience Letters 37, 307–11.
HARRISON, B. (1985) Schwann cell and oligodendrocyte remyelination in lysolecithin-induced lesions in irradiated rat spinal cord.Journal of the Neurological Sciences 67, 143–59.
KOHSAKA, S., YOSHIDA, K., INOUE, Y., SINOZAKI, T., INOUE, H., MIKOSHIBA, K., TAKAMATSU, K., OTANI, M., TOYA, S. & TSUKADA, Y. (1985) Transplantation of bulk-separated oligodendrocytes into the brains of shiverer mutant mice: immunohistochemical and electron microscopic studies on the myelination.Brain Research 372, 137–42.
KUHLMANN-KRIEG, S. SOMMER, I. & SCHACHNER, M. (1988) Ultrastructural features of cultured oligodendrocytes expressing stage-specific cell-surface antigens.Developmental Brain Research 39, 269–80.
NOBLE, M., MURRAY, K., STROOBANT, P.M., WATERFIELD, M. D. & RIDDLE, P. (1988) Platelet-derived growth factor promotes division and motility and inhibits premature differentiation of oligodendrocyte/type-2 astrocyte progenitor cell.Nature 333, 560–2.
MILLER, R. H., DAVID, S., PATEL, R., ABNEY, E. R. & RAFF, M. C. (1985) A quantitative immunohistochemical study of macroglial cell development in the rat optic nerve:in vivo evidence for two distinct astrocyte lineages.Developmental Biology 111, 35–41.
RAFF, M. C., LILLIEN, L. E., RICHARDSON, W. D., BURNE, J. F. & NOBLE, M. (1988) Platelet-derived growth factor from astrocytes drives the clock that times oligodendrocyte development in culture.Nature 333, 562–5.
RANSCHT, B., CHAPSHAW, P. A., NOBLE, M. & SEIFERT, W. (1982) Development of oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells studied with a monoclonal antibody to galactocerebroside.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 79, 2709–13.
SIMS, T. J. & GILMORE, S. A. (1983) Interactions between intraspinal Schwann cells and the cellular constituents normally occurring in the spinal cord: an ultrastructural study in the irradiated rat.Brain Research 276, 17–30.
SIMS, T. J., GILMORE, S. A., WAXMAN, S. G. & KLINGE, E. (1985) Dorsal—ventral differences in the glia limitans of the spinal cord: an ultrastructural study in developing normal and irradiated rats.Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology 44, 415–29.
SMALL, R. K., RIDDLE, P. & NOBLE, M. (1987) Evidence for migration of oligodendrocyte-type-2 astrocyte progenitor cells into the developing rat optic nerve.Nature 328, 155–7.
SOMMER, I. & SCHACHNER, M. (1981) Monoclonal antibodies (01 to 04) to oligodendrocyte surfaces. An immunocytological study in the central nervous system.Developmental Biology 83, 311–27.
WOOD, P. M. & BUNGE, R. P. (1986) Evidence that axons are mitogenic for oligodendrocytes isolated from adult animals.Nature 320, 756–8.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Blakemore, W.F., Crang, A.J. The relationship between type-1 astrocytes, Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes following transplantation of glial cell cultures into demyelinating lesions in the adult rat spinal cord. J Neurocytol 18, 519–528 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01474547
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01474547