Morphological changes and cellular dynamics of oligodendrocyte lineage cells in the developing vertebrate central nervous system.

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) originate in multiple restricted regions of the developing central nervous system (CNS). Here, we focus on morphological changes of oligodendrocyte lineage cells and their cellular dynamics including cell motility and proliferation. Morphological studies with molecular markers for OPCs suggest distinct spatiotemporal patterns of OPC migration in vivo, which are directly demonstrated by application of exogenous fluorescent markers to OPCs. Extensive proliferation of OPCs in the CNS parenchyma is also demonstrated by pulse labeling of the cells with bromodeoxyuridine. The results strongly suggest that oligodendrocyte lineage cells are highly motile and actively proliferate with an elongated morphology. These data provide insights into the potential molecular mechanisms of OPC dispersal throughout the CNS.