Large-scale generation of highly enriched neural stem-cell-derived oligodendroglial cultures: maturation-dependent differences in insulin-like growth factor-mediated signal transduction.

Multipotent neural stem cells (NSCs) are competent for commitment to the oligodendrocyte (OL) lineage both in vitro and in vivo. We exploited this property to develop a rat neurospheres (NS)/oligospheres (OS)-based culture system to generate large numbers of highly enriched late OL progenitors (preOLs) and mature OLs (MatOLs). CNS neuroblastoma cell line B104-derived conditioned medium promoted the generation of nearly pure populations of preOLs from dissociated OS.