Axin2 as regulatory and therapeutic target in newborn brain injury and remyelination

Permanent damage to white matter tracts, comprising axons and myelinating oligodendrocytes, is an important component of newborn brain injuries that cause cerebral palsy and cognitive disabilities as well as multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults. However, regulatory factors relevant in human developmental myelin disorders and in myelin regeneration are unclear. Here, we report expression of AXIN2 in immature oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OLP) within white matter lesions of human newborns with neonatal hypoxic-ischemic and gliotic brain damage, as well as active MS lesions in adults. Axin2 is a target of Wnt transcriptional activation that feeds back negatively on the pathway, promoting β-catenin degradation. We show Axin2 function is essential for normal kinetics of remyelination. Small molecule inhibitor XAV939, which targets enzymatic activity of Tankyrase, acts to stabilize Axin2 levels in OLP from brain and spinal cord and accelerates their differentiation and myelination after hypoxic and demyelinating injury. Together, these findings indicate that Axin2 is an essential regulator of remyelination and that it might serve as a pharmacological checkpoint in this process.