Oligodendrocytic

Background

Glial cell biology has been considerably enhanced through the analysis of a number of in vitro model systems, most notably primary astrocyte and oligodendrocyte cell cultures. Primary culture methods are advantageous as these cells most closely resemble their in situ counterparts. The main disadvantage is that these cells are post-mitotic and cannot be serially passaged. To overcome this, many tumour cell lines have also been assessed, yet not all of these lines are stably differentiated. Therefore, to study mechanisms of neural development more effectively, a new hybrid cell lines has been established.

Technology

In vitro, only a small number of primary oligodendrocytes express GFAP and GFAP+ astocytes rarely express oligodendrocytic markers. MO3.13, an immortal human-human hybrid cell line that express phenotypic characteristics of primary oligodendrocytes, was created by fusing a 6-thioguanine-resistant mutant of the human rhabdomyosarcoma RD with adult human oligodendrocytes by a lectin-enhanced polyethylene glycol procedure. In contrast to the tumor parent, M03.13 expressed surface immunoreactivity for galactosyl cerebroside(GS) and intracellular immunoreactivity for myelin basic protein (MBP), proteolipid protein (PLP), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).

Applications

M03.13 cells provide an immortalized clonal model system suitable for study of gene expression subserving oligodendrocyte and astrocyte phenotypes. Such cell lines could, for example, be used to study mechanisms of neural development and ways to experimentally correct genetic defects identified in several inherited dysmyelinating diseases.