Neurotrophin-3 promotes the survival of oligodendrocyte precursors in embryonic hippocampal cultures under chemically defined conditions.

embryonic rat hippocampal cells were cultured in basal medium with or without addition of the neurotrophin NT-3. After culturing in these extreme conditions, the effects of NT-3 on the neuronal and on the glial components were assessed. Neurons survived even in the absence of NT-3 but failed to reach terminal differentiation. On the other hand, NT-3 promoted the survival but not the proliferation and/or the differentiation of oligodendrocytes precursors present in the same culture, an effect that was reversed by the addition of neutralizing antibodies against NT-3. Type I or II astrocytes were not affected by NT-3. These results reinforce the role for NT-3 in oligodendrocyte lineage development and allow to dissect the roles of this neurotrophin in survival and in proliferation/differentiation of oligodendrocytes.