The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
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To define the importance of iron storage in oligodendrocyte development and function, the ferritin heavy subunit (Fth) was specifically deleted in oligodendroglial cells. Blocking Fth synthesis in Sox10 or NG2-positive oligodendrocytes during the first or the third postnatal week significantly reduces oligodendrocyte iron storage and maturation. The brain of Fth KO animals presented an important decrease in the expression of myelin proteins and a substantial reduction in the percentage of myelinated axons. ⋯ We have also tested the consequences of disrupting Fth iron storage in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) after demyelination. We have found that Fth deletion in NG2-positive OPCs significantly delays the remyelination process in the adult brain. Therefore, Fth iron storage is essential for early oligodendrocyte development as well as for OPC maturation in the demyelinated adult brain.