Migration assays for oligodendrocyte precursor cells.

In the developing central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) originate in discreet regions, which may be at a significant distance from their final position. These cells must, therefore, undergo extensive migration in order to reach this final destination (1). The regulation of OPC migration remains to be fully elucidated, with the role of external factors such as extracellular matrix proteins, and growth factors, as well as cell-cell interactions with other neural cells currently being investigated. In order to assess the possible regulation of OPC migration, we have refined two separate assays that present the OPCs with putative regulatory molecules in different forms.