Astrocyte-Schwann-cell coculture systems.

Schwann cells are one of the cellular candidates used in repair strategies following trauma and demyelination of the spinal cord. One of the major obstacles in the use of Schwann cells is their limited migratory ability within the astrocytic environment of the CNS and boundary formation between the Schwann cells of the graft and the host astrocytes. This boundary creates an abrupt obstacle for regenerating axons attempting to exit the Schwann cell graft back to the CNS. To facilitate the study of mechanisms underlying these interactions, in vitro coculture assays of Schwann-Astrocytes have been developed. In this chapter, we have described the methodology for two commonly used coculture systems known as the Schwann-Astrocyte boundary assay and the inverted coverslip migration assay.