1. Academic Validation
  2. Modulation of lanosterol synthase drives 24,25-epoxysterol synthesis and oligodendrocyte formation

Modulation of lanosterol synthase drives 24,25-epoxysterol synthesis and oligodendrocyte formation

  • Cell Chem Biol. 2021 Jun 17;28(6):866-875.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2021.01.025.
Zita Hubler 1 Ryan M Friedrich 1 Joel L Sax 1 Dharmaraja Allimuthu 1 Farrah Gao 1 Adrianna M Rivera-León 1 Matthew J Pleshinger 2 Ilya Bederman 1 Drew J Adams 3
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
  • 2 Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
  • 3 Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
Abstract

Small molecules that promote the formation of new myelinating oligodendrocytes from oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) are potential therapeutics for demyelinating diseases. We recently established inhibition of specific Cholesterol biosynthesis enzymes and resulting accumulation of 8,9-unsaturated sterols as a unifying mechanism through which many such molecules act. To identify more potent sterol enhancers of oligodendrocyte formation, we synthesized a collection of 8,9-unsaturated sterol derivatives and found that 24,25-epoxylanosterol potently promoted oligodendrocyte formation. In OPCs, 24,25-epoxylanosterol was metabolized to 24,25-epoxycholesterol via the epoxycholesterol shunt pathway. Increasing flux through the epoxycholesterol shunt using genetic manipulation or small-molecule inhibition of lanosterol synthase (LSS) increased endogenous 24,25-epoxycholesterol levels and OPC differentiation. Notably, exogenously supplied 24,25-epoxycholesterol promoted oligodendrocyte formation despite lacking an 8,9-unsaturation. This work highlights epoxycholesterol shunt usage, controlled by inhibitors of LSS, as a target to promote oligodendrocyte formation. Additionally, sterols beyond the 8,9-unsaturated sterols, including 24,25-epoxycholesterol, drive oligodendrocyte formation.

Keywords

cholesterol biosynthesis; epoxycholesterol; epoxycholesterol shunt; lanosterol synthase; multiple sclerosis; oligodendrocyte; remyelination; sterol signaling; target validation.

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