Oligodendrocyte and Schwann Cell Identification Methods

Oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells were first identified using light and electron microscopy of tissue. With the definition of proteins and lipids specific to these cells, antigen localization or in situ hybridization of the mRNA has facilitated identification in vivo and in vitro. Transgenic and ‘knockin’ mice have been generated in which cells expressing a specific promoter are fluorescently labeled. This permits isolation of the cells by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and the study of the labeled cells in situ by techniques such as electrophysiology. Transgenic zebra fish, in which the glial cells are similarly labeled, facilitate studies of these cells in the living animal.