TMEM63A, associated with hypomyelinating leukodystrophies, is an evolutionarily conserved regulator of myelination

Abstract

Infantile hypomyelinating leukodystrophy 19 (HLD19) is a rare genetic disorder where patients exhibit reduced myelin in central nervous system (CNS) white matter tracts and present with varied neurological symptoms. The causative gene TMEM63A encodes a mechanosensitive ion channel whose role in myelination has not been explored. Our study shows that TMEM63A is a major regulator of OL-driven myelination in the CNS. In mouse and zebrafish, Tmem63a inactivation led to early deficits in myelination, recapitulating the HLD19 phenotype. OL-specific conditional mouse knockouts of Tmem63a exhibited transient reductions in myelin, indicating that TMEM63A regulates myelination cell-autonomously. We show that TMEM63A is present at plasma membrane and on lysosomes and modulates myelin/myelin-associated protein production. Intriguingly, HLD19-associated TMEM63A variants from patients blocked trafficking to cell membrane. Together, our results reveal an ancient role for TMEM63A in fundamental aspects of myelination in vivo and highlight two exciting new models for the development of treatments for devastating hypomyelinating leukodystrophies.