The myelination of newly formed neurons is facilitated by the differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). OPCs are a heterogeneous cell population, and our understanding of their subpopulations and respective functions remains in its infancy. In a recent PLoS Biology publication, Moghimyfiroozabad and colleagues identify a functionally relevant OPC subpopulation that is defined by the expression of the complement C1q like 1 (C1ql1) gene. They show that around half of the OPCs in the mouse brain, in both white and gray matter, express C1ql1, and that this subpopulation is important for generating myelinating oligodendrocytes during postnatal development. Single-cell transcriptomics showed the presence of these cells across OPC and pre-myelinating oligodendrocyte clusters and indicated that C1ql1 expression was distinct from other molecular markers. The authors used genetic ablation to eliminate C1ql1-expressing OPCs, which led to a marked and sustained reduction in myelination across brain regions, as well as OPC depletion. The remaining C1ql1-negative OPCs were not able to compensate for the OPC loss, which highlights the non-redundant nature of this subpopulation. The widespread OPC subpopulation characterized by this molecular marker may serve as a promising avenue for targeted treatment of myelin-related pathologies.

Original reference: PLoS Biol. 22, e3002655 (2024)