Oligodendrocyte production and myelin recovery in heterozygous jimpy mice: an autoradiographic study.

Jimpy is a genetic disorder of mouse resulting in hypomyelination. In this study oligodendrocyte proliferation was examined in heterozygous carriers of the jimpy gene. The incorporation of [3H]-thymidine into DNA is increased in jimpy heterozygotes compared to controls. An autoradiographic analysis indicated that oligodendrocytes are the predominant neuroglial cell type being produced in the brain at the ages studied in both heterozygotes and control animals. In addition, the total number of labeled oligodendrocytes was increased in the heterozygote animals compared to controls. These results, taken together, indicate that the rate of oligodendrocyte production is greater in jimpy heterozygotes than in control animals. We have previously shown that young jimpy heterozygotes have a reduced myelin content and older heterozygotes do not. The increased rate of oligodendrocyte production, demonstrated in this study, is most likely responsible for the increasing myelin content in the heterozygote. Further study of the cellular interactions which trigger oligodendrocyte production and myelin recovery in the jimpy heterozygote may be relevant to remyelination in other disease states, including those affecting humans.