Micro-Scale Control of Oligodendrocyte Morphology and Myelination by the Intellectual Disability-Linked Protein Acyltransferase ZDHHC9

Abstract

Mutations in the X-linked ZDHHC9 gene cause cognitive deficits in humans, with a subset of patients suffering from epilepsy. X-linked intellectual disability (XLID) is often ascribed to neuronal deficits, but here we report that expression of human and mouse ZDHHC9 orthologs is far higher in myelinating oligodendrocytes (OLs) than in other CNS cell types. ZDHHC9 codes for a protein acyltransferase (PAT), and we found that ZDHHC9 is the most highly expressed PAT in OLs. Wild type ZDHHC9 localizes to Golgi outposts in OL processes, but other PATs and XLID mutant forms of ZDHHC9 are restricted to OL cell bodies. Using genetic tools for OL progenitor fate tracing and sparse cell labeling, we show that mice lacking Zdhhc9 have grossly normal OL development but display extensive morphological and structural myelin abnormalities. These deficits are OL-autonomous, as they are broadly phenocopied by acute Zdhhc9 knockdown in cultured conditions. Finally, we found that ZDHHC9 palmitoylates Myelin Basic Protein (MBP) in heterologous cells, and that palmitoylation of MBP is impaired in the Zdhhc9 knockout brain. Our findings provide critical insights into the mechanisms of ZDHHC9-associated XLID and shed new light on the palmitoylation-dependent control of myelination.