oligodendrocyteprogenitorcellen

Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) are a population of neural progenitor cells in the central nervous system that differentiate into oligodendrocytes, the cells responsible for myelination of CNS axons. OPCs persist into adulthood and form a sizable cell population throughout the brain and spinal cord. They can be identified by expression of PDGFRα, the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan NG2 (CSPG4), and transcription factors such as OLIG2 and Sox10.

During development, OPCs arise from progenitor domains in the ventricular zone and migrate to colonize the CNS, often arising in waves from the pMN domain in the spinal cord and from similar domains in the brain. They proliferate in response to growth factors such as PDGF-AA and FGF-2, and they eventually differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes.

In the mature CNS, OPCs remain abundant and can differentiate to remyelinate axons after demyelination; they respond to injury and injury-related signals by proliferating and differentiating. Remyelination efficiency declines with age and can be impeded by a hostile lesion environment in diseases such as multiple sclerosis; OPCs also display heterogeneity across brain regions.

OPCs are considered lineage-restricted progenitors, primarily giving rise to oligodendrocytes; under certain experimental conditions they can generate astrocytes, but this is not typical in healthy adult CNS. They are therefore a focus of therapeutic strategies aiming to promote remyelination in demyelinating disorders.