Meta-Biol

• Pathways

Maintenance of myelin structure and function requires appropriate lipids and myelin-specific proteins, all controlled in a tight fashion. Myelin is generated by the extension of oligodendrocyte cell membranes. Damaged myelin is implicated in many demyelinating neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, leukodystrophies and demyelinating neuropathies. The micro-RNA miR-32 is highly expressed in the myelin-enriched regions of the brain and mature oligodendrocytes, and it promotes myelin protein expression. It can directly regulate the expression of solute carrier family 45 member 3 (SLC45A3, prostein), a prostate-specific protein expressed in normal and malignant prostate tissues (Xu et al. 2001, Kiessling et al. 2004). SLC45A3 is suggested to be a myelin-enriched putative sugar transporter and therefore, indirectly, involved in fatty acid sythesis in oligodendrocytes (Shin et al. 2012).