A GFP expressing CG4 cell interacting with sensory neurons in vitro
K.L.Blaschuk and E.E.Frost, 1994

Dr Emma E. Frost's Home Page
Welcome to my web page. I am a neuroscientist whose primary research interest is in the migration of oligodendrocytes during development of the brain.
A single oligodendrocyte will interact with numerous axons in the CNS.	Oligodendrocytes are the myelinating cells of the mammalian central nervous system. They are derived from a multipotent glial precursor cell in a germinal matrix located next to the ventricles of the developing brain and spinal cord. This zone of origin is known as the sub-ventricular zone (SVZ). During the development of the brain the neural crest starts out as a 2-dimensional sheet of cells, from which radial glial cells migrate and form processes. Neuronal cells migrate along these processes as a 3-dimensional structure forms and then finally oligodendrocyte precursor cells migrate along these predefined pathways to populate and myelinate the axons.
As the cells migrate away from the SVZ it is presumed that there are extracellular cues which then regulate the subsequent behavior of the cell. One of the features of this cell type is that it is highly migratory and will migrate in response to several different cues, such as extracellular matrix molecules, and growth factors. The growth factors platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) are ubiquitously expressed through the developing embryo, and both these molecules have been previously shown to induce migration of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). In addition to inducing migration, PDGF and FGF both induce proliferation of OPCs.	Panel A - OPCs migrate through the pores of a filter. Panel B - There is a significant increase in the number of cells migrating through the filter in response to PDGF-AA
My hypothetical model to explain one aspect of the regulation of OPC behavior during development.	Once the OPCs have migrated along the axonal tract they have to increase in number in order to effect efficient and functional myelination of the axons. There are several putative signals for this, one of the most recent candidates is a member of the growth oncogene family of chemokines, Gro-alpha. My research aims to identify the regulatory mechanisms that control the migration of the cells along these tracts, and to try to identify the signals which stop this migration, and induce proliferation prior to terminal differentiation into myelinating oligodendrocytes.

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