Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells Become Regionally Diverse and Heterogeneous with Age.

ABSTRACT: Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes during CNS development, are the main proliferative cells in the adult brain. OPCs are conventionally considered a homogeneous population, particularly with respect to their electrophysiological properties, but this has been debated. We show, by using single-cell electrophysiological recordings, that OPCs start out as a homogeneous population but become functionally heterogeneous, varying both within and between brain regions and with age. These electrophysiological changes in OPCs correlate with the differentiation potential of OPCs; thus, they may underlie the differentiational differences in OPCs between regions and, likewise, differentiation failure with age.

SUBMITTER: Spitzer SO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6372724 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature