GSE116598
Oligodendrocyte precursor differentiation and survival requires chromatin remodeling by Chd7 and Chd8 [ATAC-seq]
Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) constitute the main proliferative cells in the adult brain, and deregulation of OPC proliferation-differentiation balance results in either glioma formation or defective adaptive (re)myelination. OPC differentiation requires significant genetic reprogramming implicating chromatin remodeling. Here, we report on uncharacterized functions of the chromatin remodelers Chd7 and Chd8 in OPCs. Their OPC-chromatin-binding profile combined with transcriptome and open-chromatin analysis of Chd7-deleted OPCs, demonstrates that Chd7 controls OPC differentiation through chromatin-opening and transcriptional activation of key regulators such as Sox10, Nkx2.2 and Gpr17. Chd7 is however dispensable for oligodendrocyte stage progression, consistent with Chd8 compensatory function, as suggested by its chromatin binding profile. Furthermore, Chd7 protects non-proliferative OPCs from apoptosis by chromatin-closing and transcriptional repression of p53. Mutations in CHD7 and CHD8 are associated with developmental disorders, such as CHARGE syndrome and autism respectively, and our results offer new avenues to understand and modulate their functions in disease. Overall design: ATAC-seq from Chd7iKO and Control O4+ sorted cells