1Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Organ Development and Regeneration, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China
2Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
3College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310036, China

Abstract 

Oligodendrocytes (OLs) are myelinating glial cells that form myelin sheaths around axons to ensure rapid and focal conduction of action potentials. Here, we found that an axonal outgrowth regulatory molecule, AATYK (apoptosis-associated tyrosine kinase), was up-regulated with OL differentiation and remyelination. We therefore studied its role in OL differentiation. The results showed that AATYK knockdown inhibited OL differentiation and the expression of myelin genes in vitro. Moreover, AATYK-deficiency maintained the proliferation status of OLs but did not affect their survival. Thus, AATYK is essential for the differentiation of OLs.

Keywords

AATYK, Differentiation, Oligodendrocytes

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