Establishment and characterization of a mouse Schwann cell line which produces myelin in vivo

A Schwann cell line (MSC 80) was established from purified mouse Schwann cell cultures using large doses of serum. MSC 80 cell line is an aneuploid cell line which has a doubling time of 17 hr and has been maintained through more than 110 passages. Most of MSC 80 cells are of bipolar or stellate (3–5 processes) shape. A few others are irregular in shape, gigantic, and multinucleated. All MSC 80 cells express antigens of myelin‐forming Schwann cells such as S‐100, 224/58, laminin, and other glycoproteins of the extracellular matrix. However, they also express the nonmyelin‐forming Schwann cell antigen GFAP. By time‐lapse cinematography, MSC 80 cells exhibit the Schwann cell characteristic rhythmical undulations. When induced to form aggregates in agar, they form intercellular junctions and basement membrane‐like structures. In addition, after transplantation in or at a distance from a lysolecithin induced lesion, MSC 80 cells from myelin around the host demyelinated axons. MSC 80 cells thus express, when isolated in vitro, some of the normal myelin‐forming Schwann cell phenotype. In addition, they present the major advantage of forming myelin when associated with axons in vivo. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.