PTPα is required for laminin-2-induced Fyn–Akt signaling to drive oligodendrocyte differentiation

Abstract

Extrinsic signals that regulate oligodendrocyte maturation and subsequent myelination are essential for central nervous system development and regeneration. Deficiency in the extracellular factor laminin-2 (Lm2, comprising the α2β1γ1 chains), as occurs in congenital muscular dystrophy, can lead to impaired oligodendroglial development and aberrant myelination, but many aspects of Lm2-regulated oligodendroglial signaling and differentiation remain undefined. We show that receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase α (PTPα, also known as PTPRA) is essential for myelin basic protein expression and cell spreading during Lm2-induced oligodendrocyte differentiation. PTPα complexes with the Lm2 receptors α6β1 integrin and dystroglycan to transduce Fyn activation upon Lm2 engagement. In this way, PTPα mediates a subset of Lm2-induced signals required for differentiation, includeing mTOR-dependent Akt activation but not Erk1/2 activation. We identify N-myc downstream regulated gene-1 (NDRG1) as a PTPα-regulated molecule during oligodendrocyte differentiation, and distinguish Lm2 receptor-specific modes of Fyn-Akt-dependent and -independent NDRG1 phosphorylation. Altogether, this reveals an Lm2-regulated PTPα-Fyn-Akt signaling axis that is critical for key aspects of the gene expression and morphological changes that mark oligodendrocyte maturation.