Loss of PRMT5 Promotes PDGFRα Degradation during Oligodendrocyte Differentiation and Myelination

Summary The oligodendrocyte lineage is responsible for myelination of the central nervous system. Post-translational modifications are known to regulate oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) differentiation into mature myelinating oligodendrocytes. The role of arginine methylation during oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination is still poorly understood. We generated mice depleted of PRMT5 in OPCs using Olig2-Cre, and these mice developed severe hypomyelination and died at the third post-natal week. PRMT5-deficient cells have lower levels of PDGFRα at the plasma membrane due to increased degradation by the Cbl E3 ligase. Mechanistically, the loss of arginine methylation at R554 of the PDGFRα intracellular domain unmasks a Cbl binding site at Y555. We observed the progressive decrease in PRMT5 during oligodendrocyte differentiation, and we show that one role of this decrease is to downregulate growth signals provided by PDGFRα to initiate oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination. More broadly, the inhibition of PRMT5 may be used therapeutically to manipulate PDGFRα bioavailability.