Response of human oligodendrocyte progenitors to growth factors and axon signals

We examined the effects of growth factors and axonal signals on the differentiation of human fetal and adult oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) and determined whether these effects translated into enhanced axonal ensheathment. Only small numbers of fetal OPCs grown in defined medium expressed the oligodendroglial lineage markers Olig2 and O4. The combination of platelet-derived growth factor-AA and basic fibroblast growth factor enhanced proliferation of Olig2-positive and O4-positive cells; a combination of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and insulin-like growth factor 1 promoted O4-positive cell differentiation, galactocerebroside expression, and morphological complexity. Coculturing with rodent dorsal root ganglion neurons in defined medium alone enhanced OPC differentiation and myelin basic protein expression. The addition of brain-derived neurotrophic factor/insulin-like growth factor 1 further enhanced differentiation, axonal attachment and ensheathment, and clustering of the contactin-associated protein Caspr and Na+ channels. By contrast, most adult OPCs were O4 positive and Olig2 positive in defined medium; both brain-derived neurotrophic factor/insulin-like growth factor 1 and platelet-derived growth factor-AA/basic fibroblast growth factor promoted their myelin basic protein expression and membrane sheet formation; coculture with dorsal root ganglion neurons further increased myelin basic protein expression. Growth factors also enhanced attachment of adult OPCs to axons, but their capacity to ensheath axons was lower than that of fetal OPCs. These results demonstrate that fetal and adult OPCs show measurable responses to selected growth factors and axon signals that correlate with their capacity for axon ensheathment. The distinct properties of fetal and adult OPCs may be related to differences in their chronological age and initial differentiation states.