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Oligodendrocyte lineage and the motor neuron connection
Author(s) -
Richardson William D.,
Smith Hazel K.,
Sun Tao,
Pringle Nigel P.,
Hall Anita,
Woodruff Rachel
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
glia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.954
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1098-1136
pISSN - 0894-1491
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-1136(20000115)29:2<136::aid-glia6>3.0.co;2-g
Subject(s) - biology , lineage (genetic) , oligodendrocyte , neuroscience , cell lineage , embryonic stem cell , neural tube , central nervous system , motor neuron , myelin , cellular differentiation , embryo , spinal cord , gene , genetics
One of the more surprising recent discoveries in glial biology has been that oligodendrocytes (OLs) originate from very restricted regions of the embryonic neural tube. This was surprising because myelinating OLs are widespread in the mature central nervous system, so there was no reason to suspect that their precursors should be restricted. What we now know about early OL development suggests that they might have as much (or more) in common with ventral neurons—specifically motor neurons (MNs)—as with other types of glia. This has implications for the way we think about glial development, function, and evolution. In this article we review the evidence for a shared MN‐OL lineage and debate whether this is the only lineage that generates OLs. We decide in favour of a single embryonic lineage with regional variations along the anterior‐posterior neuraxis. GLIA 29:136–142, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.