In vitro growth of glial cell-enriched and depleted populations from mouse cerebellum.

Glial cell-enriched and -depleted populations isolated from 10-day-old mouse cerebella have been grown in vitro. There are marked differences in the cellular morphology between these two populations. The glial cell-enriched populations are very heterogeneous with respect to cell size, morphology and processes, whereas the glial cell-depleted populations are very homogeneous, containing a cell type with a small cell body and predominantly bipolar processes. Further characterization of the cell types has been affected using antiserum prepared against GFA protein and tubulin. The immunocytochemical localization of these proteins clearly identifies astrocytes and neurons. The glial cell enriched populations contain several types of astrocytes and neurons in addition to cells of non-ectodermal origin, whereas the glial cell-depleted populations contain predominantly a single neuronal cell type, the granule cells.