Essential roles of plexin-B3(+) oligodendrocyte precursor cells in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease

The role of oligodendrocyte lineage cells, the largest glial population in the adult central nervous system (CNS), in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains elusive. Here, we developed a culture method for adult oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (aOPCs). Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) promotes survival and proliferation of NG2(+) aOPCs in a serum-free defined medium; a subpopulation (~5%) of plexin-B3(+) aOPCs was also found. FGF2 withdrawal decreased NG2(+), but increased plexin-B3(+) aOPCs and Aβ1-42 secretion. Plexin-B3(+) aOPCs were distributed throughout the adult rat brain, although less densely than NG2(+) aOPCs. Spreading depolarization induced delayed cortical plexin-B3(+) aOPC gliosis in the ipsilateral remote cortex. Furthermore, extracellular Aβ1-42 accumulation was occasionally found around plexin-B3(+) aOPCs near the lesions. In AD brains, virtually all cortical SPs were immunostained for plexin-B3, and plexin-B3 levels increased significantly in the Sarkosyl-soluble fractions. These findings suggest that plexin-B3(+) aOPCs may play essential roles in AD pathogenesis, as natural Aβ-secreting cells.