Does anybody have any opinions or know of any literature about similarities or differences between OPCs (rat) derived from either the optic nerve, or from brain by the McCarthy/de Vellis method? Are they broadly the same with regards to gene expression and how/what time they differentiate? I'm particularly interested in whether the cell-intrinsic timer is known to be the same in OPCs derived from either region. Thanks for your expertise.
I can tell you about mouse OPCs: there are differences, mainly regarding receptor expression and the way they respond to different cues inducing cell proliferation and migration. For example, the effects of secreted semaphorins and netrin are not the same, while that of FGF2 are very similar. Currently we are comparing OPCs from different regions in order to see if they are different or not.
In general, I would say that OPCs from the optic nerve are very special.
I assume that in the rat would be the same.
Thanks very much once again for your comments Dr de Castro, that's some great insights there, much appreciated! Marc
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