TY - JOUR T1 - Stage-Specific Regulation of Oligodendrocyte Development by Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling JF - The Journal of Neuroscience JO - J. Neurosci. SP - 8467 LP - 8473 DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0311-14.2014 VL - 34 IS - 25 AU - Zhong-Min Dai AU - Shuhui Sun AU - Chunyang Wang AU - Hao Huang AU - Xuemei Hu AU - Zunyi Zhang AU - Qing Richard Lu AU - Mengsheng Qiu Y1 - 2014/06/18 UR - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/34/25/8467.abstract N2 - Oligodendrocytes are myelin-forming glia that ensheath the axons of neurons in the CNS. Recent studies have revealed that Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays important roles in oligodendrocyte development and myelin formation. However, there are conflicting reports on the specific function of Wnt signaling components in oligodendrocyte specification and differentiation. In the present study, we demonstrate that activation of β-catenin in neural progenitor cells before gliogenesis inhibits the generation of oligodendrocyte progenitors (OLPs) in mice. Once OLPs are formed, β-catenin becomes necessary for oligodendrocyte differentiation. Disruption of β-catenin signaling instead leads to a significant delay of oligodendrocyte maturation. These findings suggest that Wnt/β-catenin pathway regulates oligodendrocyte development in a stage-dependent manner. ER -