Biology subjects

Schuster, K. H.

Publications and source records attributed to Schuster, K. H..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Activity-gated exocytosis drives myelin remodeling required for adult learning

Myelin remodeling is emerging as a dynamic facet of plasticity in the adult brain. Learning and sensory experience induce remodeling of existing myelin sheaths through incompletely understood mechanisms, leaving its causal contribution to adaptive behaviors unclear. Here, we identify activity-dependent exocytosis in mature oligodendrocytes as a key driver of myelin remodeling. Live-cell imaging reveals that neuronal activity stimulates oligodendrocyte exocytosis. Exocytosis in mature oligodendrocytes drives myelin sheath elongation on optogenetically stimulated axons in adult mice. Disrupting exocytosis in pre-existing myelin, but not newly formed myelin, impairs motor skill acquisition, suggesting that remodeling of pre-existing myelin sheaths is required for learning. These results uncover a cellular mechanism that couples neuronal activity to myelin membrane remodeling and provide a molecular handle to interrogate the function of myelin plasticity across different circuits, behaviors, and neurological disorders.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Premyelinating Oligodendrocyte Survival Governs CNS Remyelination

Myelinating oligodendrocytes are produced throughout life by the constitutive differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). However, the rate of oligodendrocyte generation changes with age and after a demyelinating injury. Here, we report that variation in premyelinating oligodendrocyte (preOL) survival modulates the rate of oligodendrocyte production. PreOL survival increased to drive the regeneration of oligodendrocytes after demyelination and decreased in middle-aged mice to contribute to age-related decline in oligodendrocyte production. Furthermore, we demonstrate that treatment with a GPR17 antagonist, Myro-02, increases oligodendrocyte replacement by promoting preOL survival after demyelination. Together, our findings demonstrate that increased survival of preOLs governs the regeneration of oligodendrocytes following demyelinating injury and suggest that modulating preOL survival may be an alternative therapeutic avenue to promote oligodendrocyte regeneration.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Epigenetic priming of neural progenitors by Notch enhances Sonic hedgehog signaling and establishes gliogenic competence

The remarkable cell diversity of multicellular organisms relies on the ability of multipotent progenitor cells to generate distinct cell types at the right times and locations during embryogenesis. A key question is how progenitors establish competence to respond to the different environmental signals required to produce specific cell types at critical developmental timepoints. We addressed this in the mouse developing forebrain, where neural progenitor cells must switch from producing neurons to making oligodendrocytes in response to increased Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling during late embryogenesis. We show that progenitor responses to SHH are regulated by Notch signaling, thus permitting proper timing of the neuron-oligodendrocyte switch. Notch activity epigenetically primes genes associated with the oligodendrocyte lineage and SHH pathway, enabling amplified transcriptional responses to endogenous SHH and robust oligodendrogenesis. These results reveal a critical role for Notch in facilitating progenitor competence states and influencing cell fate transitions at the epigenetic level.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Blood neurofilament light chain levels are associated with disease progression in a transgenic SCA3 mouse model

Increased neurofilament light (NfL) protein in biofluids is reflective of neurodegeneration and has gained interest as a biomarker across neurodegenerative diseases. In spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), the most common dominantly inherited ataxia, patients exhibit progressive NfL increases in peripheral blood when becoming symptomatic, remaining stably elevated throughout further disease course. However, progressive NfL changes are not yet validated in relevant preclinical SCA3 animal models, hindering its application as a biomarker during therapeutic development. We used ultra-sensitive single-molecule array (Simoa) to measure blood NfL over disease progression in the YACQ84 mouse, assessing relationships with measures of disease severity including age, CAG repeat size, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We show that YACQ84 mice exhibit increased blood NfL, concomitant with ataxia-related motor deficits and correlated with neurometabolite abnormalities. Our findings establish natural history progression of NfL increases in the preclinical YACQ84 mouse, further supporting the utility of blood NfL as a peripheral neurodegeneration biomarker and informing coinciding timelines of different measures of SCA3 pathogenesis. Summary statementPeripheral blood of SCA3 YACQ84 mice exhibits increased abundance of neuronal-specific NfL protein directly associating with disease progression, providing an accessible disease biofluid biomarker to interrogate in preclinical therapeutic studies.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

ASOs are an effective treatment for disease-associated oligodendrocyte signatures in premanifest and symptomatic SCA3 mice

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is the most common dominantly inherited ataxia. Currently, no preventative or disease-modifying treatments exist for this progressive neurodegenerative disorder, although efforts using gene silencing approaches are under clinical trial investigation. The disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the mutant gene, ATXN3, producing an enlarged polyglutamine tract in the mutant protein. Similar to other paradigmatic neurodegenerative diseases, studies evaluating the pathogenic mechanism focus primarily on neuronal implications. Consequently, therapeutic interventions often overlook non-neuronal contributions to disease. Our lab recently reported that oligodendrocytes display some of the earliest and most progressive dysfunction in SCA3 mice. Evidence of disease-associated oligodendrocyte signatures has also been reported in other neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimers disease, ALS, Parkinsons disease, and Huntingtons disease. Here, we assess the effects of anti-ATXN3 antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) treatment on oligodendrocyte dysfunction in premanifest and symptomatic SCA3 mice. We report a severe, but modifiable, deficit in oligodendrocyte maturation caused by the toxic gain-of-function of mutant ATXN3 early in SCA3 disease that is transcriptionally, biochemically, and functionally rescued with anti-ATXN3 ASO. Our results highlight the promising use of an ASO therapy across neurodegenerative diseases that requires glial targeting in addition to affected neuronal populations.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Impaired oligodendrocyte maturation is an early feature in SCA3 disease pathogenesis

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), the most common dominantly inherited ataxia, is a polyglutamine neurodegenerative disease for which there is no disease-modifying therapy. The polyglutamine-encoding CAG repeat expansion in the ATXN3 gene results in expression of a mutant form of the ATXN3 protein, a deubiquitinase that causes selective neurodegeneration despite being widely expressed. The mechanisms driving neurodegeneration in SCA3 are unclear. Research to date, however, has focused almost exclusively on neurons. Here, using equal male and female age-matched transgenic mice expressing full-length human mutant ATXN3, we identified early and robust transcriptional changes in selectively vulnerable brain regions that implicate oligodendrocytes in disease pathogenesis. We mapped transcriptional changes across early, mid, and late stages of disease in two selectively vulnerable brain regions, the cerebellum and brainstem. The most significant disease-associated module through weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed dysfunction in SCA3 oligodendrocyte maturation. These results reflect a toxic gain of function mechanism, as ATXN3 knockout mice do not exhibit any impairments in oligodendrocyte maturation. Genetic crosses to reporter mice revealed a marked reduction in mature oligodendrocytes in SCA3-disease vulnerable brain regions and ultrastructural microscopy confirmed abnormalities in axonal myelination. Further study of isolated oligodendrocyte precursor cells from SCA3 mice established that this impairment in oligodendrocyte maturation is a cell autonomous process. We conclude that SCA3 is not simply a disease of neurons and the search for therapeutic strategies and disease biomarkers will need to account for non-neuronal involvement in SCA3 pathogenesis. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTDespite advances in SCA3 disease understanding, much remains unknown about how the disease gene causes brain dysfunction ultimately leading to cell death. We completed a longitudinal transcriptomic analysis of vulnerable brain regions in SCA3 mice to define the earliest and most robust changes across disease progression. Through gene network analyses followed up with biochemical and histological studies in SCA3 mice, we provide evidence for severe dysfunction in oligodendrocyte maturation early in SCA3 pathogenesis. Our results advance understanding of SCA3 disease mechanisms, identify additional routes for therapeutic intervention, and may provide broader insight into polyglutamine diseases beyond SCA3.

neuroscience↗