Myelination of central nervous system axons in tissue culture by transplanted oligodendrocytes.

Unmyelinated mouse cerebellar cerebellar cultures in which oligodendrocyte differentiation had been suppressed by exposure to cytosine arabinoside developed axonal myelin after superimposition of kainic acid-treated cerebellar explants devoid of myelin-receptive axons. The latter explants contained differentiated oligodendrocytes. The operation of a diffusible myelin-stimulating factor was ruled out by the failure of myelination in cytosine arabinoside-exposed explants not in direct contact with oligodendrocyte-containing transplants.