Bipotential precursors of putative fibrous astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in rat cerebellar cultures express distinct surface features and neuron-like. gamma. -aminobutyric acid transport

Journal Article · Sat Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.83.5.1504· OSTI ID:5559174

Levi, G; Gallo, V; Ciotti, T

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), Journal Name: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States) Vol. 83:5; ISSN PNASA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550601* -- Medicine-- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
AMINO ACIDS
AMINOBUTYRIC ACID
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
BIOLOGY
BODY
BRAIN
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CELL CULTURES
CELL DIFFERENTIATION
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CEREBELLUM
CYTOLOGY
DRUGS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MAMMALS
NERVE CELLS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NEUROREGULATORS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
RATS
RODENTS
SOMATIC CELLS
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
TUMOR CELLS
UPTAKE
VERTEBRATES