Gas6 enhances oligodendrocyte arborization
| N2 | N2 + PDGF | N2 + NT3 | N2 + PDGF + NT3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of primary processes | + p = 0.003 | NS | ++ p = 0.001 | +++ p = <0.0001 |
| Number of secondary processes | ++ p = 0.0013 | +++ p = <0.0001 | +++ p = <0.0001 | +++ p = <0.0001 |
| Length of the longest process | NS | + p = 0.0027 | + p = 0.01 | NS |
Human fetal oligodendrocytes were plated on irradiated NIH3T3 cells or Gas6-secreting NIH3T3 cells in N2 basal medium alone or N2 basal medium supplemented with 10 ng/ml PDGF, 5 ng/ml NT-3, or the combination of PDGF and NT-3. After 6 d in culture the cells were fixed and immunostained with antibody to CNPase. The number of primary and secondary processes as well as the length of the longest oligodendrocyte process was determined for three independent experiments (n = 150). +++ p <0.0001, ++ p = 0.001, + p = 0.002-0.01 signifies a statistically significant difference between the Gas6-secreting cells and the control NIH3T3 cells; NS, not significant. p values were obtained by unpaired two-tailed Student's t test with 99% confidence.