Fig. 2

Characterization of human oligodendrocyte progenitor cells used for transplantation 99 days after induction of differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. (a) No mesodermal lineage cells were detected (bone morphogenetic protein; BMP) and very little (b) neural (type III-tubulin epitope J1; TUJ1) and (c) astrocyte (glial fibrillary acidic protein; GFAP) markers were expressed in the oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). Most cells (90-95 %) were positive for early and late OPC and pre-oligodendrocyte markers ((d) A2B5, (e) platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)α and (f) O4). Fifty percent of cells were (g) NG2 positive and (h) most cells were positive for the transcriptional factor Sox10. (i) About 50 % of cells showed varied expression of the oligodendrocyte marker myelin basic protein (MBP). Insets in (b) and (c) show typical rare neuronal and astrocytic profiles in these human OPC cultures. Inset in (b) is taken from a culture that was double immunostained for NG2 (green) and TUJ1 (red). Insets in (d-i) are magnifications of cells or groups of cells labeled with asterisks to showcase typical cytologies and immunoreactivities, including nuclear (h) and non-nuclear (d,e,f,g,i) localizations. Other than the nuclear localization of the transcription factor Sox10 (H), most immunoreactivities are especially prominent in processes (e,g) or have punctate peripheral localization (f,i). Scale bars = 20 μm