Generation of oligodendrocytes from epiblast stem cells

This protocol describes a method to generate oligodendrocytes from epiblast stem cells (EpiSC) via the formation of neural rosettes and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). In addition, it includes an expansion step that enables generation of high quantities of OPCs, for transplantation processes. The generated oligodendrocytes and OPCs express specific markers, and have the capacity to produced myelin, as demonstrates by in-vitro culturing of OPCs with neurons, and by injection of OPCs into coronal, forebrain slices of early postnatal shiverer pups. Moreover EpibSC-derived OPCs formed patches of MBP+ myelin sheaths upon injection into the future corpus callosum of newborn, immunocompetent shiverer pups.