Age-linked heterogeneity among oligodendrocyte precursor cells in the cerebral cortex of mice and human

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are responsible for spontaneous remyelination after a demyelinating lesion. They are present in large parts of the mouse and human central nervous system, both during development and in adulthood, yet how their physiological behaviour is modified throughout life remains largely unknown. Moreover, the activity of adult human OPCs is still not fully understood. Significantly, most of the molecules involved in OPC-mediated remyelination are also involved in their development, a phenomenon that may be clinically relevant. In this article, we have systematically analyzed the intrinsic properties of OPCs isolated from the cerebral cortex of neonatal, postnatal and adult mice, as well as those recovered from neurosurgical adult human cerebral cortex tissue. We also analyze the response of these cells to two molecules that have known effects on OPC biology during development and that are overexpressed in individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS): FGF2 and anosmin-1. By analyzing intact OPCs for the first time with H-1 HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy, we show that these cells behave distinctly and that they have different metabolic patterns in function of their stage of maturity. Moreover, their response to FGF-2 and anosmin-1 differs in relation to their developmental stage and in function of the species. Our data reveal that the behaviour of adult human and mouse OPCs differs in a very dynamic way that should be considered when testing drugs and for the proper design of effective pharmacological and/or cell therapies for MS.