Endogenous oligodendrocyte lineage cells spontaneously remyelinate focal areas of demyelination induced by murine hepatitis virus A59 infection of C57Bl/6 mice. We used this model to examine the potential for platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) to have a role in repopulating demyelinated lesions, and in doing so we also further characterized the in vivo responses of oligodendrocyte lineage cells following demyelination. Very early in the progress of remyelination, we administered a 4‐h in vivo pulse of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and subsequently performed in situ hybridization for PDGF‐α receptor (PDGFαR), an established marker for oligodendrocyte progenitors in vivo, or for proteolipid protein (PLP), to identify oligodendrocytes. Sections of lesioned spinal cords had a 14.5‐fold increase in the number of BrdU‐labeled oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (PDGFαR+), while BrdU‐labeled oligodendrocytes (PLP+) were extremely rare. Immunocytochemistry of similar sections demonstrated that immunoreactivity for both PDGFαR and NG2, another marker of oligodendrocyte progenitors, was locally increased in areas of white‐matter lesions. High‐resolution immunofluorescence imaging was used to detect oligodendrocyte progenitor cells expressing receptors for both PDGF and fibroblast growth factor. In addition, expression of PDGF‐A mRNA transcripts was increased in sections of lesioned spinal cords and reactive astrocytes in lesions exhibited immunoreactivity for PDGF ligand. Our findings indicate that during the initial stages of remyelination, oligodendrocyte progenitors proliferate locally, and that this response may potentially involve PDGF. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 37: 413–428, 1998