Agenesis and Hypomyelination of Corpus Callosum in Mice Lacking Nsun5, an RNA Methyltransferase

• Main Authors: Zihao Yuan, Peipei Chen, Tingting Zhang, Bin Shen, Ling Chen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-06-01
• Series: Cells
• Subjects: Nsun5; Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS); corpus callosum (CC); oligodendrocyte (OL); myelination
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/8/6/552

Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) is caused by microdeletions of 28 genes and is characterized by cognitive disorder and hypotrophic corpus callosum (CC). <i>Nsun5</i> gene, which encodes cytosine-5 RNA methyltransferase, is located in the deletion loci of WBS. We have reported that single-gene knockout of <i>Nsun5</i> (<i>Nsun5</i>-KO) in mice impairs spatial cognition. Herein, we report that postnatal day (PND) 60 <i>Nsun5</i>-KO mice showed the volumetric reduction of CC with a decline in the number of myelinated axons and loose myelin sheath. Nsun5 was highly expressed in callosal oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) and oligodendrocytes (OLs) from PND7 to PND28. The numbers of OPCs and OLs in CC of PND7-28 <i>Nsun5</i>-KO mice were significantly reduced compared to wild-type littermates. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses of myelin basic protein (MBP) showed the hypomyelination in the CC of PND28 <i>Nsun5</i>-KO mice. The <i>Nsun5</i> deletion suppressed the proliferation of OPCs but did not affect transition of radial glial cells into OPCs or cell cycle exit of OPCs. The protein levels, rather than transcriptional levels, of CDK1, CDK2 and Cdc42 in the CC of PND7 and PND14 <i>Nsun5</i>-KO mice were reduced. These findings point to the involvement of <i>Nsun5</i> deletion in agenesis of CC observed in WBS.