Myelination is essential for normal nervous system development, and the juvenile period is a major period of myelination. Differentiation of the oligodendrocyte, the myelinating cell of the CNS, is tightly regulated, and disruption of oligodendrocyte development leads to neurologic problems, such as periventricular leukomalacia and retardation. How injury during this period impacts myelination is poorly understood, although ischemic damage in the perinatal period or adults damages oligodendrocytes along with other cells, driving major tissue damage. We initiated studies to investigate the impact of juvenile ischemia on CNS myelination, as this period has distinctly different metabolic demands. We found that despite extensive death of striatal neurons, oligodendrocytes and myelinated axons were remarkably preserved in the juvenile brain, in stark contrast to the adult which exhibits extensive oligodendrocyte and myelin injury (Ahrendsen et al., Glia 64:1972, 2016). Quite intriguingly, in addition to oligodendrocyte resistance to ischemic injury in the actively myelinating juvenile brain, a transgenic mouse line that continues active myelination throughout life also has relatively protected oligodendrocytes. In the proposed studies, we will test the hypotheses that actively myelinating oligodendrocytes have high levels of anti-oxidant pathway molecules that protect them from ischemic damage, and that such damage increases their expression of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which acts in an autocrine m manner to additionally protect myelinating oligodendrocytes. We have three related specific aims that test these hypotheses by investigating 1) the role of the Nrf2 signaling pathway in actively myelinating oligodendrocytes in response to ischemia; 2) the role of IGF-1 in protection of actively myelinating oligodendrocytes; and 3) the role of IGF-1 signaling in conjunction with reactive oxygen species in driving oligodendrocyte progenitor cell differentiation.

Public Health Relevance

This project focuses on the role of anti-oxidant and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) signaling in protection of actively myelinating oligodendrocytes from ischemic damage. A further focus of the project is on the role of IGF-1 along with reactive oxygen species in inducing oligodendrocyte progenitor cell differentiation.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NS105788-02
Application #
9842635
Study Section
Cellular and Molecular Biology of Glia Study Section (CMBG)
Program Officer
Morris, Jill A
Project Start
2019-01-01
Project End
2023-12-31
Budget Start
2020-01-01
Budget End
2020-12-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2020
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Colorado Denver
Department
Biology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
041096314
City
Aurora
State
CO
Country
United States
Zip Code
80045