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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Organotypic Slice Cultures to Study Oligodendrocyte Dynamics and Myelination
Published on: August 25, 2014
Synapses between NG2 glia and neurons
Dominik Sakry1, Khalad Karram, Jacqueline Trotter
1Molecular Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. sakryd@uni-mainz.de
Abstract:
NG2-expressing glia are precursors to oligodendrocytes and subpopulations of astrocytes. They are unique among glial cells in that they enter into synaptic specialisations with neurons throughout all areas of grey and white matter and at all ages. To date, the NG2 cells appear to represent a postsynaptic compartment, and synapses are formed with axons. With differentiation to oligodendrocytes, NG2 is downregulated and myelin antigens upregulated: this coincides with a loss of the synaptic contacts between neurons and NG2 glial cells. The functional roles of this glial-neuron synapse in regulation of differentiation into myelinating oligodendrocytes or additionally responding to and modulating neuronal network activity remain to be elucidated.
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