Myelination is essential for nervous system function. Schwann cells interact with neurons and the basal lamina to myelinate axons, using known receptors, signals and transcription factors. In contrast, the transcriptional control of axonal sorting and the role of mechanotransduction in myelination are largely unknown. Yap and Taz are effectors of the Hippo pathway that integrate chemical and mechanical signals in cells. We describe a previously unknown role for the Hippo pathway in myelination. Using conditional mutagenesis in mice we show that Taz is required in Schwann cells for radial sorting and myelination, and that Yap is redundant with Taz. Yap/Taz are activated in Schwann cells by mechanical stimuli, and regulate Schwann cell proliferation and transcription of basal lamina receptor genes, both necessary for proper radial sorting of axons and subsequent myelination. These data link transcriptional effectors of the Hippo pathway and of mechanotransduction to myelin formation in Schwann cells.

Myelin is formed by specialized myelinating glia: oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems, respectively. While there are distinct developmental aspects and regulatory pathways in these two cell types, myelination in both systems requires the transcriptional activator Sox10. Sox10 interacts with cell type-specific transcription factors at some loci to induce myelin gene expression, but it is largely unknown how Sox10 transcriptional networks globally compare between oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells. We used in vivo ChIP-Seq analysis of spinal cord and peripheral nerve (sciatic nerve) to identify unique and shared Sox10 binding sites and assess their correlation with active enhancers and transcriptional profiles in oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells. Sox10 binding sites overlap with active enhancers and critical cell type-specific regulators of myelination, such as Olig2 and Myrf in oligodendrocytes, and Egr2/Krox20 in Schwann cells. Sox10 sites also associate with genes critical for myelination in both oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells, and are found within super-enhancers previously defined in brain. In Schwann cells, Sox10 sites contain binding motifs of putative partners in the Sp/Klf, Tead, and nuclear receptor protein families. Specifically, siRNA analysis of nuclear receptors Nr2f1 and Nr2f2 revealed downregulation of myelin genes Mbp and Ndrg1 in primary Schwann cells. Our analysis highlights different mechanisms that establish cell type-specific genomic occupancy of Sox10, which reflects the unique characteristics of oligodendrocyte and Schwann cell differentiation.

Dynamic cell states underlie flexible developmental programs, such as with the stomatal lineage of the Arabidopsis epidermis. Initial stages of the lineage feature asynchronous and indeterminate divisions modulated by environmental cues, enabling cell fate flexibility to generate the requisite density and pattern of stomata for a given environment. It remains unclear, however, how flexibility of cell fates is controlled. Here, we uncovered distinct models of cell state differentiation within Arabidopsis leaf tissue by leveraging single-cell transcriptomics and molecular genetics. Our findings resolved underlying heterogeneity within cell states of the flexible epidermal stomatal lineage, which appear to exist along a continuum, with progressive cell specification. Beyond the early stages of the lineage, we discovered that the core transcriptional regulator SPEECHLESS is required for cell fate commitment to yield stomatal guard cells. Overall, our work has refined the stomatal lineage paradigm and uncovered progressive cell state decisions along lineage trajectories in developing leaves..

Successful myelination of the peripheral nervous system depends upon induction of major protein components of myelin, such as peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22). Myelin stability is also sensitive to levels of PMP22, as a 1.4 Mb duplication on human chromosome 17, resulting in three copies of PMP22, is the most common cause of the peripheral neuropathy Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. The transcription factor Egr2/Krox20 is required for induction of high level expression of Pmp22 in Schwann cells but its activation elements have not yet been determined. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis of the rat Pmp22 locus, we found a major peak of Egr2 binding within the large intron of the Pmp22 gene. Analysis of a 250 bp region within the largest intron showed that it is strongly activated by Egr2 expression in reporter assays. Moreover, this region contains conserved binding sites not only for Egr2 but also for Sox10, which is also required for Schwann cell development. Our analysis shows that Sox10 is required for optimal activity of the intronic site as well as PMP22 expression. Finally, mouse transgenic analysis revealed tissue-specific expression of this intronic sequence in peripheral nerve. Overall, these data show that Egr2 and Sox10 activity are directly involved in mediating the developmental induction of Pmp22 expression.