The glial scar that forms at the site of injury is thought to be a biochemical and physical
barrier to successful regeneration, although the molecules responsible for this barrier
function are not well understood. Glia scars contain large numbers of oligodendrocyte
precursor cells (OPCs) and these cells can produce several different growth-inhibitory
chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), including NG2, neurocan, and phosphacan.
Here, we used membrane-based assays to show that the surface of OPCs is both …