Adult olfactory sphere cells are a source of oligodendrocyte and Schwann cell progenitors

• Published in: Stem cell research Vol. 11; no. 3; p. 1178
• Main Authors: Ohnishi, Yu-ichiro, Iwatsuki, Koichi, Shinzawa, Koei, Ishihara, Masahiro, Moriwaki, Takashi, Umegaki, Masao, Kishima, Haruhiko, Yoshimine, Toshiki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-11-2013
• Subjects: Animals; Astrocytes - cytology; Astrocytes - metabolism; Biomarkers - metabolism; Cell Differentiation; Cells, Cultured; Flow Cytometry; Male; Olfactory Mucosa - cytology; Olfactory Mucosa - transplantation; Oligodendroglia - cytology; Oligodendroglia - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Schwann Cells - cytology; Schwann Cells - metabolism; Spinal Cord Injuries - surgery; Stem Cells - cytology; Stem Cells - metabolism; horizontal basal cells; spinal cord injury; OPC; OS; MACS; olfactory sphere; CNS; fluorescence-activated cell sorting; FACS; HBCs; EGFP; central nervous system; enhanced green fluorescent protein; magnetic activated cell sorting; SCI; oligodendrocyte progenitor cell
• ISSN: 1876-7753
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2013.08.005

The olfactory epithelial layer contains multipotent horizontal basal cells (HBCs) that differentiate into olfactory sensory neurons. Here, we show that rat HBCs express oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) and astrocyte markers. We generated olfactory sphere (OS) cells in cultures that were derived from adult rat olfactory mucosa. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting and immunofluorescence analyses showed that OS cells also express OPC and astrocyte markers. Interestingly, OS cells underwent oligodendrocyte differentiation in vitro. To study oligodendrocyte differentiation in vivo, OS cells were transplanted into injured rat spinal cords. The transplanted cells integrated into host tissue and differentiated into oligodendrocytes. When transected saphenous nerve ends were encased in collagen-containing silicone tubes with or without OS cells, the transplanted OS cells differentiated into Schwann cells. Our data provide new insights into of the stemness of OS cells.