Myelin regeneration in the adult brain mobilizes endogenous progenitors which participate in repair by producing new oligodendrocyte, the myelin forming cells of the central nervous system. A study recently published in elife by the Durbec’s team in collaboration with Anna Williams (MRC, University of Edinburgh) andKay Grobe (WWU Münster) showed that mature OLG cells spared by the degenerative process surrounding demyelinated lesions also contribute to this repair mechanism by producing HS and modulating Shh signaling pathway. The conditional inactivation of Ndst1, a key enzyme in Heparan sulfate synthesis, in mouse oligodendrocytes leads to increase lesion size, sustained microglia and progenitors reactivity and decrease Shh binding and pathway activation. This data demonstrates for the first time that mature oligodendrocytes are not passive witnesses but contribute to protection and myelin regeneration.

To know more :

• Mature oligodendrocytes bordering lesions limit demyelination and favor myelin repair via heparan sulphate production.

Elife. 2020 Jun 9;9:e51735. doi: 10.7554/eLife.51735.

Magali Macchi#, Karine Magalon#, Céline Zimmer, Elitsa Peeva, Bilal El Waly, Béatrice Brousse, Sarah Jaekel, Kay Grobe, Friedemann Kiefer, Anna Williams, Myriam Cayre and Pascale Durbec

• Contact

Pascale Durbec – pascale.durbec@univ-amu.fr