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Updated: May 13, 2026

Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells into Oligodendrocyte Precursors
Published on: May 19, 2010
Embryonic origins of forebrain oligodendrocytes revisited by combinatorial genetic fate mapping
Yuqi Cai1, Zhirong Zhao1, Mingyue Shi1
1Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Department of Neurobiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
Multiple embryonic origins give rise to forebrain oligodendrocytes (OLs), yet controversies and uncertainty exist regarding their differential contributions. We established intersectional and subtractional strategies to genetically fate map OLs produced by medial ganglionic eminence/preoptic area (MGE/POA), lateral/caudal ganglionic eminences (LGE/CGE), and dorsal pallium in the mouse brain. We found that, contrary to the canonical view, LGE/CGE-derived OLs make minimum contributions to the neocortex and corpus callosum, but dominate piriform cortex and anterior commissure. Additionally, MGE/POA-derived OLs, instead of being entirely eliminated, make small but sustained contribution to cortex with a distribution pattern distinctive from those derived from the dorsal origin. Our study provides a revised and more comprehensive view of cortical and white matter OL origins, and established valuable new tools and strategies for future OL studies.
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