Endogenous Nkx2.2+/Olig2+ oligodendrocyte precursor cells fail to remyelinate the demyelinated adult rat spinal cord in the absence of astrocytes

This study investigates why the body's own repair cells fail to fix damage in the spinal cord after injury. Specifically, it looks at cells that should rebuild the protective coating around nerve fibers, called myelin. The research found that these repair cells, called oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), do arrive at the damaged area, but they don't mature and rebuild the myelin properly unless other support cells called astrocytes are present. Without astrocytes, a different type of cell, Schwann cells, takes over the myelin repair, but this repair isn't as effective, leading to limited recovery of nerve function.

• 1
  Nkx2.2+/Olig2+ OPCs are recruited to demyelinated lesions but fail to remyelinate axons in regions lacking astrocytes.
• 2
  Schwann cell remyelination predominates in the astrocyte-free central core of the lesion, particularly around blood vessels.
• 3
  Remyelinating oligodendrocytes are restricted to the astrogliotic perimeter of the lesion, suggesting a necessary role for astrocytes in oligodendrocyte maturation.