Oligodendrocyte progenitor cell

rdf:langString Oligodendrocyte progenitor cell

rdf:langString Oligodendrocyte progenitor cell

rdf:langString NG2-positive oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and GFAP-positive astrocytes in culture.

rdf:langString September 2021

rdf:langString Non-encyclopedic tone, few sources

rdf:langString Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), also known as oligodendrocyte precursor cells, NG2-glia, O2A cells, or polydendrocytes, are a subtype of glia in the central nervous system named for their essential role as precursors to oligodendrocytes. They are typically identified by coexpression of PDGFRA and NG2. OPCs play a critical role in developmental and adult myelinogenesis by giving rise to oligodendrocytes, which then ensheath axons and provide electrical insulation in the form of a myelin sheath, enabling faster action potential propagation and high fidelity transmission without a need for an increase in axonal diameter. The loss or lack of OPCs, and consequent lack of differentiated oligodendrocytes, is associated with a loss of myelination and subsequent impairment of neurological functions. In addition, OPCs express receptors for various neurotransmitters and undergo membrane depolarization when they receive synaptic inputs from neurons.

rdf:langString OPC