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Stimulation of in vitro myelin synthesis by microglia
Author(s) -
Hamilton Steven P.,
Rome Leonard H.
Publication year - 1994
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/glia.440110405
Subject(s) - microglia , myelinogenesis , myelin , oligodendrocyte , biology , myelin basic protein , neuroglia , proteolipid protein 1 , central nervous system , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroscience , immunology , inflammation
Central nervous system myelin is elaborated by oligodendrocytes, which have been studied extensively in cell culture. Dissociated brain cultures allow in vitro analysis of events in myelinogenesis, including cell‐cell interactions. Microglia, the primary phagocytic cell of the central nervous system, appear in developing fiber tracts prior to the onset of myelination in vivo. To gain insight into potential oligodendrocytemicroglial interactions during development, these cells were co‐cultured and various parameters of myelin synthesis were measured. In co‐culture, microglia stimulated the synthesis of sulfatide, a myelin‐specific galactolipid, in oligodendrocytes, as well as the expression of the myelin‐specific proteins myelin basic protein and proteolipid protein. Activity of the oligodendrocyte cytoplasm‐specific enzyme 2′,3′‐cyclic nucleotide 3′‐phosphohydrolase was not elevated, suggesting that the effects of microglia were not due to stimulation of oligodendrocyte proliferation. This was confirmed by the inability of microglia to induce significant DNA synthesis. Conditioned medium from cultured microglia provided a similar stimulatory activity, suggesting that the increase in myelin synthesis does not require contact between oligodendrocytes and microglia. These findings suggest a stimulatory role for microglia during myelinogenesis. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.