Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells become regionally diverse and heterogeneous with age

Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes during central nervous system (CNS) development, are the main proliferative cells in the adult brain. OPCs are conventionally considered a homogeneous population, particularly with respect to their electrophysiological properties, but this has been debated. We show, by using single-cell electrophysiological recordings, that OPCs start out as a homogeneous population, but become functionally heterogeneous, varying both within and between brain regions and with age. These electrophysiological changes in OPCs correlate with the differentiation potential of OPCs; thus, they may underlie the differentiational differences in OPCs between regions and likewise differentiation failure with age. Total RNA profiles of oligodendrocyte precursor cells isolated from 3 to 4 wild-type mice at different time points, using SMARTer® Stranded Total RNA-Seq Kit v2 - Pico Input Mammalian.少突胶质细胞前体细胞（Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, OPCs）在中枢神经系统（central nervous system, CNS）发育过程中可分化为髓鞘形成型少突胶质细胞，是成体大脑内主要的增殖细胞群。传统观点认为OPCs是均一的细胞群体，尤其在电生理特性方面，但该观点一直存在争议。本研究通过单细胞电生理记录技术证实，OPCs最初呈现均一性状态，随后逐渐出现功能异质性：这种异质性既存在于脑内不同区域之间及区域内部，也随年龄增长而发生变化。OPCs的上述电生理变化与其分化潜能密切相关，因此可能是导致不同区域OPCs分化差异以及衰老相关分化障碍的潜在机制。本研究采用SMARTer® Stranded Total RNA-Seq Kit v2 - Pico Input Mammalian试剂盒，对3至4只野生型小鼠在不同时间点分离获取的少突胶质细胞前体细胞进行了总RNA转录组谱分析。