An oligodendrocyte-specific zinc-finger transcription regulator cooperates with Olig2 to promote oligodendrocyte differentiation

Transcriptional control of oligodendrogenesis

Oligodendrocytes (OGs) assemble the myelin sheath around axons in the central nervous system. Specification of cells into the OG lineage is largely the result of interplay between bone morphogenetic protein, sonic hedgehog and Notch signaling pathways, which regulate expression of transcription factors (TFs) dictating spatial and temporal aspects of oligodendrogenesis. Many of these TFs and others then direct OG development through to a mature myelinating OG. Here we describe signaling pathways and TFs that are inductive, inhibitory, and/or permissive to OG specification and maturation. We develop a basic transcriptional network and identify similarities and differences between regulation of oligodendrogenesis in the spinal cord and brain.

A matter of identity: transcriptional control in oligodendrocytes

Oligodendrocyte development progresses from specification to terminal differentiation through several phases. By now, a number of transcription factors have been identified that are essential for one or more of these phases. They stem from transcription factor families with known roles in many developmental processes. Basic helix-loop-helix, homeodomain, and high-mobility-group containing transcription factors such as the Olig, Nkx, and Sox proteins have been particularly well studied. A complex picture has emerged in which these transcription factors interact in transcriptional networks and thereby combine and influence their respective activities as repressors or activators in such a way that stage- and cell-type specific gene expression is achieved during oligodendrocyte development.