Oligodendrocytes wrap nerve fibers in the central nervous system with layers of specialized cell membrane to form myelin sheaths1. Myelin is destroyed by the immune system in multiple sclerosis, but myelin is thought to regenerate and neurological function can be recovered. In animal models of demyelinating disease, myelin is regenerated by newly generated oligodendrocytes, and remaining mature oligodendrocytes do not appear to contribute to this process2–4. Considering the major differences in oligodendrocyte generation dynamics and adaptive myelination between rodents and humans5–9, it is uncertain how well experimental animals reflect the situation in multiple sclerosis. We have assessed the generation dynamics of oligodendrocytes in multiple sclerosis patients by measuring the integration of nuclear bomb test derived 14C in genomic DNA10. The generation of new oligodendrocytes was increased several-fold in normal appearing white matter in a subset of individuals with very aggressive disease, but not in the majority of subjects with multiple sclerosis, demonstrating an inherent potential to substantially increase oligodendrocyte generation but that this fails in most patients. Oligodendrocytes in shadow plaques, thinly myelinated lesion that are thought to represent remyelinated areas, were old in multiple sclerosis patients. The absence of new oligodendrocytes in shadow plaques suggests that remyelination of lesions occur transiently or not at all, or that myelin is regenerated by preexisting, and not new, oligodendrocytes in multiple sclerosis. We report unexpected oligodendrocyte generation dynamics in multiple sclerosis, which should guide the use of current, and the development of new, therapies.

SummaryIn this study, we sought evidence for alpha-synuclein (ASYN) expression in oligodendrocytes, as a possible endogenous source of ASYN to explain its presence in glial inclusions found in multiple system atrophy (MSA) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). We identified ASYN in oligodendrocyte lineage progenitors isolated from the rodent brain, in oligodendrocytes generated from embryonic stem cells, and in induced pluripotent stem cells produced from fibroblasts of a healthy individual and patients diagnosed with MSA or PD, in cultures in vitro. Notably, we observed a significant decrease in ΑSYN during oligodendrocyte maturation. Additionally, we show the presence of transcripts in PDGFRΑ/CD140a+ cells and SOX10+ oligodendrocyte lineage nuclei isolated by FACS from rodent and human healthy and diseased brains, respectively. Our work identifies ASYN in oligodendrocyte lineage cells, and it offers additional in vitro cellular models that should provide significant insights of the functional implication of ASYN during oligodendrocyte development and disease.

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Spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers a complex cellular response at the injury site, leading to the formation of a dense scar tissue. Despite this local tissue remodeling, the consequences of SCI at the cellular level in distant rostral sites (i.e., brain), remain unknown. In this study, we asked whether cervical SCI could alter cell dynamics in neurogenic areas of the adult rat forebrain. To this aim, we quantified BrdU incorporation and determined the phenotypes of newly generated cells (neurons, astrocytes, or microglia) during the subchronic and chronic phases of injury. We find that subchronic SCI leads to a reduction of BrdU incorporation and neurogenesis in the olfactory bulb and in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. By contrast, subchronic SCI triggers an increased BrdU incorporation in the dorsal vagal complex of the hindbrain, where most of the newly generated cells are identified as microglia. In chronic condition 90 days after SCI, BrdU incorporation returns to control levels in all regions examined, except in the hippocampus, where SCI produces a long-term reduction of neurogenesis, indicating that this structure is particularly sensitive to SCI. Finally, we observe that SCI triggers an acute inflammatory response in all brain regions examined, as well as a hippocampal-specific decline in BDNF levels. This study provides the first demonstration that forebrain neurogenesis is vulnerable to a distal SCI.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are becoming an important source of pre-clinical models for research focusing on neurodegeneration. They offer the possibility for better understanding of common and divergent pathogenic mechanisms of brain diseases. Moreover, iPSCs provide a unique opportunity to develop personalized therapeutic strategies, as well as explore early pathogenic mechanisms, since they rely on the use of patients’ own cells that are otherwise accessible only post-mortem, when neuronal death-related cellular pathways and processes are advanced and adaptive. Neurodegenerative diseases are in majority of unknown cause, but mutations in specific genes can lead to familial forms of these diseases. For example, mutations in the superoxide dismutase 1 gene lead to the motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), while mutations in the SNCA gene encoding for alpha-synuclein protein lead to familial Parkinson’s disease (PD). The generations of libraries of familial human ALS iPSC lines have been described, and the iPSCs rapidly became useful models for studying cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous mechanisms of the disease. Here we report the generation of a comprehensive library of iPSC lines of familial PD and an associated synucleinopathy, multiple system atrophy (MSA). In addition, we provide examples of relevant neural cell types these iPSC can be differentiated into, and which could be used to further explore early disease mechanisms. These human cellular models will be a valuable resource for identifying common and divergent mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration in PD and MSA.