TY - JOUR T1 - Live Imaging of Targeted Cell Ablation in <em>Xenopus</em>: A New Model to Study Demyelination and Repair JF - The Journal of Neuroscience JO - J. Neurosci. SP - 12885 LP - 12895 DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2252-12.2012 VL - 32 IS - 37 AU - Ferdinand Kaya AU - Abdelkrim Mannioui AU - Albert Chesneau AU - Sowmya Sekizar AU - Emmanuelle Maillard AU - Chantal Ballagny AU - Ludivine Houel-Renault AU - David DuPasquier AU - Odile Bronchain AU - Isabelle Holtzmann AU - Anne Desmazieres AU - Jean-Léon Thomas AU - Barbara A. Demeneix AU - Peter J. Brophy AU - Bernard Zalc AU - Andre Mazabraud Y1 - 2012/09/12 UR - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/37/12885.abstract N2 - Live imaging studies of the processes of demyelination and remyelination have so far been technically limited in mammals. We have thus generated a Xenopus laevis transgenic line allowing live imaging and conditional ablation of myelinating oligodendrocytes throughout the CNS. In these transgenic pMBP-eGFP-NTR tadpoles the myelin basic protein (MBP) regulatory sequences, specific to mature oligodendrocytes, are used to drive expression of an eGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) reporter fused to the Escherichia coli nitroreductase (NTR) selection enzyme. This enzyme converts the innocuous prodrug metronidazole (MTZ) to a cytotoxin. Using two-photon imaging in vivo, we show that pMBP-eGFP-NTR tadpoles display a graded oligodendrocyte ablation in response to MTZ, which depends on the exposure time to MTZ. MTZ-induced cell death was restricted to oligodendrocytes, without detectable axonal damage. After cessation of MTZ treatment, remyelination proceeded spontaneously, but was strongly accelerated by retinoic acid. Altogether, these features establish the Xenopus pMBP-eGFP-NTR line as a novel in vivo model for the study of demyelination/remyelination processes and for large-scale screens of therapeutic agents promoting myelin repair. ER -