Oligodendrocyte‐selective deletion of the eIF2α kinase Perk/Eif2ak3 limits functional recovery after spinal cord injury

AbstractAfter spinal cord injury (SCI), re‐establishing cellular homeostasis is critical to optimize functional recovery. Central to that response is PERK signaling, which ultimately initiates a pro‐apoptotic response if cellular homeostasis cannot be restored. Oligodendrocyte (OL) loss and white matter damage drive functional consequences and determine recovery potential after thoracic contusive SCI. We examined acute (<48 h post‐SCI) and chronic (6 weeks post‐SCI) effects of conditionally deleting Perk from OLs prior to SCI. While Perk transcript is expressed in many types of cells in the adult spinal cord, its levels are disproportionately high in OL lineage cells. Deletion of OL‐Perk prior to SCI resulted in: (1) enhanced acute phosphorylation of eIF2α, a major PERK substrate and the critical mediator of the integrated stress response (ISR), (2) enhanced acute expression of the downstream ISR genes Atf4, Ddit3/Chop, and Tnfrsf10b/Dr5, (3) reduced acute OL lineage‐specific Olig2 mRNA, but not neuronal or astrocytic mRNAs, (4) chronically decreased OL content in the spared white matter at the injury epicenter, (5) impaired hindlimb locomotor recovery, and (6) reduced chronic epicenter white matter sparing. Cultured primary OL precursor cells with reduced PERK expression and activated ER stress response showed: (1) unaffected phosphorylation of eIF2α, (2) enhanced ISR gene induction, and (3) increased cytotoxicity. Therefore, OL‐Perk deficiency exacerbates ISR signaling and potentiates white matter damage after SCI. The latter effect is likely mediated by increased loss of Perk−/− OLs.