Differential expression of αB-crystallin causes maturation-dependent susceptibility of oligodendrocytes to oxidative stress

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are most susceptibleto oxidative stress in the brain. However, the cause ofdifferences in susceptibility to oxidative stress between OPCsand mature oligodendrocytes (mOLs) remains unclear. Recently,we identified in vivo that αB-crystallin (aBC) is expressedin mOLs but not in OPCs. Therefore, we examined in thepresent study whether aBC expression could affect cellsurvival under oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxideusing primary cultures of OPCs and mOLs from neonatal ratbrains. Expression of aBC was greater in mOLs than in OPCs,and the survival rate of mOLs was significantly higher than thatof OPCs under oxidative stress. Suppression of aBC by siRNAtransfection resulted in a decrease in the survival rate of mOLsunder oxidative stress. These data suggest that highersusceptibility of OPCs than mOLs to oxidative stress is due, atleast in part, to low levels of aBC expression. [BMB Reports2013; 46(10): 501-506]