# Novel targets in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway for enhanced oligodendrocyte formation

> **NIH NIH F30** · CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $47,773

## Abstract

Project Summary:
Deficits of white matter and myelin have been implicated in several neuropsychiatric conditions such as
schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder. The cause of hypomyelination in these disorders is not well
understood and may contribute to the patients’ clinical symptoms; therefore, there is a therapeutic need for
medications which adjust the levels of myelin in adults. Additionally, discovering more targets which enhance
oligodendrocyte formation, may illuminate novel aspects to the underlying biology of oligodendrocyte formation.
 Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) differentiate into oligodendrocytes for myelination of axons throughout
the CNS in both the developing and developed human brain. Recently, it was reported that there is a
differentiation defect in OPCs obtained from patients with schizophrenia. To discover novel therapeutics which
enhance formation of oligodendrocytes from OPCs, we and others performed in vitro chemical-genetic screens.
These screens served to illuminate that inhibition of the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway at specific steps is a
dominant mechanism for enhanced oligodendrocyte formation. This work aims to further parse the importance
of specific enzymes and their sterol substrates in this pathway in enhancement of oligodendrocyte formation and
to determine the efficacy of these small-molecules in mouse and human OPCs. In aims 1i and 2i we
systematically interrogate the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway and characterize the effects of knockdown of
sterol-14 reductase and enzymes C4-demethylation complex on enhance oligodendrocyte formation and on the
sterol pathway. In aims 1ii and 2ii we determine the effects of treating cells with the sterol substrates for these
enzymes on oligodendrocyte differentiation and the sterol pathway. Lastly, in aim 3 we determine the lipid and
phenotypic effects of these small molecules on human OPCs. This proposal will lead to a greater understanding
of the role of the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway in OPC differentiation and oligodendrocyte formation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10210193
- **Project number:** 5F30MH116581-04
- **Recipient organization:** CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Zita Maria Lupe Hubler
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $47,773
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-01 → 2022-05-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10210193

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10210193, Novel targets in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway for enhanced oligodendrocyte formation (5F30MH116581-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10210193. Licensed CC0.

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