PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Vivianne E. Morrison
AU  - Victoria N. Smith
AU  - Jeffrey K. Huang
TI  - Retinoic Acid Is Required for Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cell Production and Differentiation in the Postnatal Mouse Corpus Callosum
AID  - 10.1523/ENEURO.0270-19.2019
DP  - 2020 Jan 01
TA  - eneuro
PG  - ENEURO.0270-19.2019
VI  - 7
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.eneuro.org/content/7/1/ENEURO.0270-19.2019.short
4100  - http://www.eneuro.org/content/7/1/ENEURO.0270-19.2019.full
SO  - eNeuro2020 Jan 01; 7
AB  - Myelination of the CNS relies on the production and differentiation of oligodendrocyte (OL) precursor cells (OPCs) into mature OLs. During the first month of postnatal life, OPCs that populate the corpus callosum (CC) arise from neural stem cells (NSCs) in the subcallosal subventricular zone (SVZ), and then differentiate to generate myelinating OLs. However, the signals that regulate these processes are not fully understood. In this study, we show that endogenous expression of the retinoic acid (RA)-synthesizing enzyme retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (RALDH2) is required for OPC generation and differentiation in the postnatal subcortical white matter. In male and female pups, conditional deletion of Raldh2 reduced OPC numbers and differentiation. Moreover, decreased OPC numbers coincided with reductions in NSC survival and expression of the sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling effector protein Gli1 in the SVZ. Additionally, GFAP expression in the CC was decreased, and cortical neuron numbers were altered. Our work suggests a role for endogenous RALDH2-dependent RA synthesis in OPC production and differentiation in the CC, as well as in the development of other cell types derived from NSCs in the embryonic ventricular zone (VZ) and SVZ, as well as the postnatal subcallosal SVZ.