Sensitive and nurturing, oligodendrocytes are the last major cell type to appear during nervous system development. They support neurons by producing protective myelin insulation and break down in neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and ALS.
In a new Stem Cell Reports paper, former graduate student Taylor Pio and colleagues in Jimena Andersen’s lab demonstrate how oligodendrocytes develop within spinal cord organoids.
Appearing after weeks or months in spinal cord organoid culture, oligodendrocytes can migrate and form synapses with neurons, mimicking behaviors seen in the body. When exposed to inflammatory signals, oligodendrocytes’ responses resemble those in tissue samples from multiple sclerosis patients.
“The induction of disease-associated markers, a phenotype that has not been previously reported in a human model, highlights the utility of this system for modeling early, inflammation-driven pathological states,” the authors write.