Bipotential precursors of putative fibrous astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in rat cerebellar cultures express distinct surface features and neuron-like. gamma. -aminobutyric acid transport
When postnatal rat cerebellar cells were cultured in a chemically defined, serum-free medium, the only type of astrocyte present was unable to accumulate ..gamma..-(/sup 3/H)aminobutyric acid (GABA), did not express surface antigens recognized by two monoclonal antibodies, A2B5 and LB1, and showed minimal proliferation. In these cultures, nonneuronal A2B5/sup +/, LB1/sup +/ stellate cells exhibiting neuron-like (/sup 3/H)GABA uptake formed cell colonies of increasing size and were GFAP/sup -/. After about one week of culturing, the A2B5/sup +/, LB1/sup +/, GABA-uptake positive cell groups became galactocerebroside (GalCer) positive. Immunocytolysis of the A2B5/sup +/ cells at 3 and 4 days in vitro prevented the appearance of the A2B5/sup +/, LB1/sup +/, GABA-uptake positive cell colonies, and also of the GalCer/sup +/ cell groups. If 10% (vol/vol) fetal calf serum was added to 6-day cultures, the A2B5/sup +/, LB1/sup +/, GABA-uptake positive cell groups expressed GFAP and not GalCer. If the serum was added to the cultures 2 days after lysing the A2B5/sup +/ cells, only A2B5/sup -/, LB1/sup -/, GABA-uptake negative astrocytes proliferated. It is concluded that the putative fibrous astrocytes previously described in serum-containing cultures derive from bipotential precursors that differentiate into oligodendrocytes (GalCer/sup +/) in serum-free medium or into astrocytes (GFAP/sup +/) in the presence of serum, while the epithelioid A2B5/sup -/, LB1/sup -/, GABA-uptake negative astrocytes originate from a different precursor not yet identified.
- Research Organization:
- Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Rome, Italy
- OSTI ID:
- 5559174
- Journal Information:
- Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States), Vol. 83:5
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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AMINOBUTYRIC ACID
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RATS
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
TUMOR CELLS
AMINO ACIDS
ANIMAL CELLS
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AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
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BRAIN
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
DRUGS
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MAMMALS
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550601* - Medicine- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics