A crucial role for neurotrophin-3 in oligodendrocyte development

• Published in: Nature (London) 1994-01, Vol.367 (6461), p.371-375
• Main Authors: Barres, B. A, Raff, M. C, Gaese, F, Bartke, I, Dechant, G, Barde, Y.-A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Astrocytes - drug effects; Astrocytes - metabolism; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Cell cycle, cell proliferation; Cell Differentiation; Cell Division; Cell physiology; Cells, Cultured; Culture Media; DNA - biosynthesis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humanities and Social Sciences; letter; Molecular and cellular biology; multidisciplinary; Nerve Growth Factors - metabolism; Nerve Growth Factors - pharmacology; Nerve Growth Factors - physiology; Nerve Tissue Proteins - pharmacology; Neurons; Neurotrophin 3; Oligodendroglia - cytology; Optic Nerve - cytology; Platelet-Derived Growth Factor - pharmacology; Proteins; Rats; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases - biosynthesis; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases - genetics; Receptor, trkC; Receptors, Growth Factor - biosynthesis; Receptors, Growth Factor - genetics; Responses to growth factors, tumor promotors, other factors; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Stem Cells - cytology
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/367371a0

THE neurotrophins nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin-3 and neurotrophin-4/5 promote the survival of subpopulations of vertebrate neurons in vitro , but so far only nerve growth factor has been demonstrated to be essential for normal neuronal development 1–4 ; no neurotrophin has previously been shown to function in normal glial cell development. We found recently that neurotrophin-3 promotes the survival of pure oligodendrocyte precursor cells in vitro , and, although by itself it induces only a small percentage of these cells to synthesize DNA, in combination with platelet-derived growth factor it induces the majority of them to do so 5 . Neither of these factors, however, has been shown to contribute to oligodendrocyte precursor cell proliferation in vivo or to stimulate pure populations of these cells to proliferate (as opposed to synthesize DNA) in vitro . Here we show that neurotrophin-3 and platelet-derived growth factor collaborate to promote clonal expansion of oligodendrocyte precursor cells in vitro and to drive the intrinsic clock that times oligodendrocyte development 6 . We also show that neurotrophin-3 helps stimulate the proliferation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells in vivo and is thus required for normal oligodendrocyte development.