Cell of all trades: oligodendrocyte precursor cells in synaptic, vascular, and immune function
- 1Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA;
- 2Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
- Corresponding author: lhtsai{at}mit.edu
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↵3 These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract
Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are not merely a transitory progenitor cell type, but rather a distinct and heterogeneous population of glia with various functions in the developing and adult central nervous system. In this review, we discuss the fate and function of OPCs in the brain beyond their contribution to myelination. OPCs are electrically sensitive, form synapses with neurons, support blood–brain barrier integrity, and mediate neuroinflammation. We explore how sex and age may influence OPC activity, and we review how OPC dysfunction may play a primary role in numerous neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. Finally, we highlight areas of future research.
Keywords
- Alzheimer's disease
- NG2 glia
- blood–brain barrier
- immunity
- neurodevelopment
- oligodendrocyte precursor
- senescence
- sex differences
- synapse
Footnotes
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Article is online at http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.344218.120.
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