PLX090577

GSE112725: Role of fatty acid synthase in oligodendrocyte myelination

• Organsim mouse
• Type RNASEQ
• Target gene
• Project Oligodendrocyte studies

In the central nervous system, oligodendrocytes encase axons with myelin, a highly organized multilayered membrane structure. Myelin allows the rapid propagation of action potentials along the axons, while also supporting their mantainance metabolically. Fatty acids are basic building blocks for both glyco- and phospholipids, key constituents of cell membranes. Moreover, fatty acids can modify proteins via palmitoylation and activate transcriptional networks, e.g. through the PPARs transcription factors. Due to the high demand of membrane oligodendrocytes face to produce myelin, we hypothesized that they strongly rely upon fatty acid synthesis rather than mostly on their intake from the dietary pool. We tested this hypothesis by deleting the enzyme Fatty Acid Synthase specifically from neonatal oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, in vivo in C57Bl/6 olig2Cre FASN floxed mice. We addressed the consequences of this depletion on oligodendrocytes differentation and myelination potential in the central nervous system. In particular, we analyzed by RNA-seq how lack of FASN affected the transcriptome of optic nerves dissected from P14 mutant (olig2Cre FASN lox/lox) versus control (FASN lox/lox) mice. SOURCE: Laura Montani IMHS - ETH Zürich