SummarySince Río-Hortega’s description of oligodendrocyte morphologies nearly a century ago, many studies have observed myelin sheath-length diversity between CNS regions [1–3]. Myelin sheath length directly impacts axonal conduction velocity by influencing the spacing between nodes of Ranvier. Such differences likely affect neural signal coordination and synchronization [4]. What accounts for regional differences in myelin sheath lengths is unknown; are myelin sheath lengths determined solely by axons or do intrinsic properties of different oligodendrocyte precursor cell populations affect length? The prevailing view is that axons provide molecular cues necessary for oligodendrocyte myelination and appropriate sheath lengths. This view is based upon the observation that axon diameters correlate with myelin sheath length [1, 5, 6], as well as reports that PNS axonal neuregulin-1 type III regulates the initiation and properties of Schwann cell myelin sheaths [7, 8]. However, in the CNS, no such instructive molecules have been shown to be required, and increasing in vitro evidence supports an oligodendrocyte-driven, neuron-independent ability to differentiate and form initial sheaths [9–12]. We test this alternative signal-independent hypothesis—that variation in internode lengths reflects regional oligodendrocyte-intrinsic properties. Using microfibers, we find that oligodendrocytes have a remarkable ability to self-regulate the formation of compact, multilamellar myelin and generate sheaths of physiological length. Our results show that oligodendrocytes respond to fiber diameters and that spinal cord oligodendrocytes generate longer sheaths than cortical oligodendrocytes on fibers, co-cultures, and explants, revealing that oligodendrocytes have regional identity and generate different sheath lengths that mirror internodes in vivo.

Chronic cellular stress associated with neurodegenerative disease can result in the persistence of stress granule (SG) structures, membraneless organelles that form in response to cellular stress. In Huntington's disease (HD), chronic expression of mutant huntingtin generates various forms of cellular stress, including activation of the unfolded protein response and oxidative stress. However, it has yet to be determined whether SGs are a feature of HD neuropathology. We examined the miRNA composition of extracellular vesicles (EVs) present in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of HD patients and show that a subset of their target mRNAs were differentially expressed in the prefrontal cortex of HD patients. Of these targets, SG components were enriched, including the SG nucleating Ras GTPase-activating protein-binding protein 1 (G3BP1). We investigated localization and levels of G3BP1 and found a significant increase in the density of G3BP1-positive granules in the cortex and hippocampus of R6/2 transgenic mice and in the superior frontal cortex of HD patient brains. Intriguingly, we also observed that the SG-associated TAR DNA-Binding Protein-43 (TDP43), a nuclear RNA/DNA binding protein, was mislocalized to the cytoplasm of G3BP1-granule positive HD cortical neurons. These findings suggest that G3BP1 SG dynamics may play a role in the pathophysiology of HD.

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