Cerebral Creatine Deficiency Affects the Timing of Oligodendrocyte Myelination

• Published in: The Journal of neuroscience Vol. 43; no. 7; pp. 1143 - 1153
• Main Authors: Rosko, Lauren M, Gentile, Tyler, Smith, Victoria N, Manavi, Zeeba, Melchor, George S, Hu, Jingwen, Shults, Nataliia V, Albanese, Chris, Lee, Yichien, Rodriguez, Olga, Huang, Jeffrey K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Society for Neuroscience 15.02.2023
• Subjects: Animals; Autism; Brain damage; Corpus callosum; Creatine; Creatine - metabolism; Creatine kinase; Demyelinating Diseases - pathology; Demyelination; Female; Gene deletion; Guanidinoacetate N-methyltransferase; Homozygote; Inborn errors of metabolism; Intellectual Disability - genetics; Kinases; Magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Male; Maturation; Methyltransferase; Mice; Myelin; Myelination; Oligodendrocytes; Oligodendroglia - metabolism; Seizures; Sequence Deletion; Synthesis; myelin; oligodendrocytes; guanidinoacetate methyltransferase; cerebral creatine deficiency syndrome; creatine; remyelination
• ISSN: 0270-6474; 1529-2401
• DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2120-21.2022

Cerebral creatine deficiency syndrome (CCDS) is an inborn error of metabolism characterized by intellectual delays, seizures, and autistic-like behavior. However, the role of endogenously synthesized creatine on CNS development and function remains poorly understood. Here, magnetic resonance spectroscopy of adult mouse brains from both sexes revealed creatine synthesis is dependent on the expression of the enzyme, guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT). To identify -expressed cells, and how affects postnatal CNS development, we generated a mouse line by knocking-in a GFP, which is expressed on excision of We found that is expressed in mature oligodendrocytes during active myelination in the developing postnatal CNS. Homozygous deletion of resulted in significantly reduced mature oligodendrocytes and delayed myelination in the corpus callosum. Moreover, the absence of endogenous creatine resulted in altered AMPK signaling in the brain, reduced brain creatine kinase expression in cortical neurons, and signs of axonal damage. Experimental demyelination in mice after tamoxifen-induced conditional deletion of in oligodendrocyte lineage cells resulted in delayed maturation of oligodendrocytes and myelin coverage in lesions. Moreover, creatine and cyclocreatine supplementation can enhance remyelination after demyelination. Our results suggest endogenously synthesized creatine controls the bioenergetic demand required for the timely maturation of oligodendrocytes during postnatal CNS development, and that delayed myelination and altered CNS energetics through the disruption of creatine synthesis might contribute to conditions, such as CCDS. Cerebral creatine deficiency syndrome is a rare disease of inborn errors in metabolism, which is characterized by intellectual delays, seizures, and autism-like behavior. We found that oligodendrocytes are the main source of endogenously synthesized creatine in the adult CNS, and the loss of endogenous creatine synthesis led to delayed myelination. Our study suggests impaired cerebral creatine synthesis affects the timing of myelination and may impact brain bioenergetics.