Nucleosides influence the myelination of dorsal root ganglion cells in vitro; a quantitative comparison

Abstract

alpha-Modified minimal essential medium (alpha MEM) is the most useful commercial medium for survival and myelin formation of dorsal root ganglia (DRGs). When components of alpha MEM are compared with those of other commercial media, nucleosides are found only in alpha MEM. We examined the effects of nucleosides on myelin formation in rat DRG cultures. When myelin formation was viewed quantitatively, cultures using alpha MEM with nucleosides yielded 2- to 3-fold more myelin segments than cultures using alpha MEM without nucleosides.