USP9X deletion elevates the density of oligodendrocytes within the postnatal dentate gyrus

Sabrina Oishi; Oressia Zalucki; Susitha Premarathne; Stephen A Wood; Michael Piper

doi:10.1080/23262133.2016.1235524

USP9X deletion elevates the density of oligodendrocytes within the postnatal dentate gyrus

Neurogenesis (Austin). 2016 Sep 30;3(1):e1235524. doi: 10.1080/23262133.2016.1235524. eCollection 2016.

Authors

Sabrina Oishi¹, Oressia Zalucki², Susitha Premarathne³, Stephen A Wood³, Michael Piper²

Affiliations

¹ The School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland , Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
² The School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
³ The Eskitis Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University , Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Abstract

Neural stem cells (NSCs) within the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus reside in the subgranular zone (SGZ). A dynamic network of signaling mechanisms controls the balance between the maintenance of NSC identity, and their subsequent differentiation into dentate granule neurons. Recently, the ubiquitin-specific protease 9 X-linked (USP9X) was shown to be important for hippocampal morphogenesis, as mice lacking this gene exhibited a higher proportion of proliferating NSCs, yet a decrease in neuronal numbers, within the postnatal dentate gyrus. Here we reveal that Usp9x-deficiency results in the upregulation of numerous oligodendrocytic and myelin-associated genes within the postnatal hippocampus. Moreover, cell counts reveal a significant increase in oligodendrocyte precursor cells and mature oligodendrocytes per unit volume of the mutant dentate gyrus. Collectively, these findings indicate that USP9X may regulate NSC lineage determination within the postnatal SGZ.

Keywords: USP9X; hippocampal neurogenesis; neural stem cell; oligodendrocyte; subgranular zone.