2. Behavioral Biology TALKS - Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft

13. Neurobiology POSTERS
����134 Gerd Bicker
A dog is man's best friend, but can its olfactory ensheathing cells help human
neurons?
Authors: Gerd Bicker 1/6 , F. Roloff 1 , S. Ziege 2 , S. Strauss 3 , K. Reimers 3 , J.D. Kocsis 4/5 ,
C. Radtke 3 , W. Baumgärtner 2/6 ,K. Wewetzer 2/6
Affiliations: 1 Division of Cell Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover;
2 Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover;
3 Department of Plastic, Hand- and Reconstructive Surgery, Hannover Medical
School; 4 Department of Neurology and Center for Neuroscience and
Regeneration Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven,
Connecticut; 5 Neuroscience Research Center, Veterans Affairs Connecticut
Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut; 6 Center for Systems
Neuroscience Hannover
Transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OEC) and Schwann cells (SC) is a
promising therapeutic strategy to facilitate axon regeneration and remyelination
after spinal cord injury. However, the close phenotypic resemblance of OECs and SCs
including the expression of marker molecules, e.g. the neurotrophin receptor p75
(p75NTR) and S100 so far did not allow selective identification and purification of
OECs. Using magnetic activated cell sorting, we depleted contaminating SCs from
OEC preparations and purified canine OECs from olfactory bulb (OB-OECs), olfactory
mucosa (OM-OECs), and SCs from fibular nerve for in vitro analysis. To compare the
motility of the purified glial cells, we used a scratch migration assay which measures
cell migration during the closure of a ?wound? that is scratched into a confluent cell
monolayer. Closure of the gap was followed by monitoring the advancement of the
cell front over 8 hrs. Because this time interval is too short for significant cell
proliferation, the presence of cells in the gap reflects migration. A quantitative
evaluation shows that OB-OECs and SCs migrated faster than the OM-OECs. The OB-
OECs and SCs covered a distance of about 120 µm in 8 hrs, as compared to about 80
µm for the OM-OECs. We then investigated whether motility could be up-regulated
by pharmacological agents. So far, we found no evidence that glial migration is
regulated by cGMP or cAMP signaling, but activating PKC enhances motility. Further
experiments address the improved neurite outgrowth of human model (NT2)
neurons in a co-culture system with OECs and SCs. The cell culture experiments using
canine OECs and SCs serve to evaluate the potential therapeutic impact of the three
glial cell types for repair of spinal cord injuries in a large animal model.
This study was supported by a DFG grant (FG 1103, BI 262/16-1)
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