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Related Concept Videos

Contact-dependent Signaling01:19

Contact-dependent Signaling

Contact-dependent signaling, as the name suggests, requires that communicating cells be in direct contact with each other. This is achieved either through receptor-ligand interactions or by specialized cytoplasmic channels that allow the flow of small molecules between cells. In animal cells, channels called gap junctions facilitate contact-dependent signaling in certain tissues, whereas, plasmodesmata perform a similar function in plants.
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Nervous Tissue: Myelin01:25

Nervous Tissue: Myelin

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Preparation of Rat Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cultures and Quantification of Oligodendrogenesis Using Dual-infrared Fluorescence Scanning
11:11

Preparation of Rat Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cultures and Quantification of Oligodendrogenesis Using Dual-infrared Fluorescence Scanning

Published on: February 17, 2016

Common developmental requirement for Olig function indicates a motor neuron/oligodendrocyte connection.

Q Richard Lu1, Tao Sun, Zhimin Zhu

  • 1Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Cell
|April 17, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Olig1 and Olig2 genes are crucial for oligodendrocyte development and neural pattern formation. Genetic disruption reveals their specific roles in the central nervous system, impacting neuron and oligodendrocyte specification.

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Last Updated: May 21, 2026

Preparation of Rat Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cultures and Quantification of Oligodendrogenesis Using Dual-infrared Fluorescence Scanning
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Generation of Human Neurons and Oligodendrocytes from Pluripotent Stem Cells for Modeling Neuron-Oligodendrocyte Interactions
10:53

Generation of Human Neurons and Oligodendrocytes from Pluripotent Stem Cells for Modeling Neuron-Oligodendrocyte Interactions

Published on: November 9, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Oligodendrocyte lineage genes Olig1 and Olig2 encode basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins.
  • These genes are coexpressed in neural progenitors, suggesting a role in early central nervous system (CNS) development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the developmental roles of Olig1 and Olig2 in oligodendroglia and CNS progenitors.
  • To elucidate the genetic requirements for oligodendrocyte development from multipotent progenitors.

Main Methods:

  • Targeted gene disruption of Olig1 and Olig2 in mice.
  • Analysis of neural progenitor development and cell fate mapping.

Main Results:

  • Olig2 is essential for oligodendrocyte and motor neuron specification in the spinal cord.
  • Olig1 plays a key role in oligodendrocyte development and maturation, particularly in the brain.
  • Both Olig genes contribute to neural pattern formation; neither is required for astrocyte development.
  • Fate mapping indicates oligodendrocytes arise from Olig-specified progenitors that also generate neurons.

Conclusions:

  • Olig1 and Olig2 are critical regulators of oligodendrocyte lineage development and CNS patterning.
  • These genes define specific progenitor populations that give rise to both neurons and oligodendrocytes.