The Impact of Fixation on the Detection of Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cell Morphology and Vascular Associations

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) display numerous protrusions that extend into the surrounding parenchyma in the brain. Depending on the preparation of the tissue analyzed, these protrusions are more or less visible. We applied six different fixation methods and compared the effect of prolonged and stronger fixation on fluorescence intensity of platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha, a surface marker of OPCs. Importantly, the fluorescence signal is mostly lost on protrusions as compared to the cell body, which has to be considered for specific analyses. Additionally, we show numerous contacts established between OPCs and the brain vasculature, which will contribute to the understanding of the interactions between these two elements.

Automated summary

The study investigated the protrusions of oligodendrocyte precursor cells and the impact of different fixation methods on the fluorescence signal of a cell surface marker. It was found that the fluorescence signal is more likely to be lost on the protrusions compared to the cell body. Additionally, numerous contacts between oligodendrocyte precursor cells and brain vasculature were revealed, contributing to the understanding of their interactions.