Epigenetic memory loss in aging oligodendrocytes in the corpus callosum.

ABSTRACT: In this study, we address the hypothesis that aging modifies the intrinsic properties of oligodendrocytes, the myelin-forming cells of the brain. According to our model, an "epigenetic memory" is stored in the chromatin of the oligodendrocyte lineage cells and is responsible for the maintenance of a mature phenotype, characterized by low levels of expression of transcriptional inhibitors. We report here an age-related decline of histone deacetylation and methylation, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the establishment and maintenance of this "epigenetic memory" of the differentiated state. We further show that lack of histone methylation and increased acetylation in mature oligodendrocytes are associated with global changes in gene expression, that include the re-expression of bHLH

SUBMITTER: Shen S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2323437 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature