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NF-κB activation protects oligodendrocytes against inflammation

Authors

  • S. Stone
  • S. Jamison
  • Y. Yue
  • W. Durose
  • R. Schmidt-Ullrich
  • W. Lin

Journal

  • Journal of Neuroscience

Citation

  • J Neurosci 37 (38): 9332-9344

Abstract

  • NF-κB is a key player in inflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). However, the effects of NF-κB activation on oligodendrocytes in MS and EAE remain unknown. We generated a mouse model that expresses IκBαΔN, a super-suppressor of NF-κB, specifically in oligodendrocytes and demonstrated that IκBαΔN expression had no effect on oligodendrocytes under normal conditions (both sexes). Interestingly, we showed that oligodendrocyte-specific expression of IκBαΔN blocked NF-κB activation in oligodendrocytes and resulted in exacerbated oligodendrocyte death and hypomyelination in young, developing mice that ectopically express IFN-γ in the CNS (both sexes). We also showed that NF-κB inactivation in oligodendrocytes aggravated IFN-γ-induced remyelinating oligodendrocyte death and remyelination failure in the cuprizone model (male mice). Moreover, we found that NF-κB inactivation in oligodendrocytes increased the susceptibility of mice to EAE (female mice). These findings imply the cytoprotective effects of NF-κB activation on oligodendrocytes in MS and EAE.


DOI

doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1608-17.2017