Differentiating Human Embryonic Stem Cells into Oligodendrocytes

Begin by seeding human embryonic stem cells onto a matrix-coated multiwell plate.

The matrix environment prevents untimely maturation into a specialized cell.

Add a suitable maintenance medium supplemented with dimethyl sulfoxide or DMSO.

DMSO treatment boosts the cells’ response to maturation signals.

Next, replace the medium with a neural induction medium containing specific inhibitors.

Inhibitors block the signals of non-neural cell development, guiding the stem cells to transform into neural progenitor cells or NPCs.

Replace the medium with a detachment solution to dissociate the NPCs. Replate the desired number of cells to another multiwell plate.

Add a cell-specific differentiation medium supplemented with DMSO to promote the transformation of NPCs into oligodendrocyte precursor cells or OPCs.

Replace the medium with a cell-specific maturation medium to facilitate the development of OPCs into oligodendrocytes.

To perform neural progenitor cell generation, culture H1 human ES cells and transdifferentiate them into neural progenitor cells, as described in the text manuscript. On day negative 1, seed 0.5 to 1 million cells in ES cell maintenance medium into each well of a 6-well