Loss of DEGS1 function in flies leads to an enlarged endoplasmic reticulum in glial cells. Image credit: Yuqing Zhu and James B. Skeath (CC BY 4.0)
Neurodegenerative diseases affect around 50 million people worldwide. They arise when neurons deteriorate and die. Neurodegeneration was thought to result from defects within neurons. But recent studies have shown that changes in brain cells known as glial cells – which surround, protect and nourish neurons – can also trigger this process.
The fat composition of the surrounding plasma membrane of glial cells differs from neurons and contains high levels of sphingolipids. These lipids regulate membrane fluidity – the movement of molecules within and through the membrane – and are also critical for cell signaling and the formation of nerve-insulating myelin sheaths.
All complex sphingolipids, such as sphingomyelins and gangliosides, are derived from ceramide. Enzymes called DEGS1 produce ceramide from dihydroceramide in the endoplasmic reticulum. Ceramides are then transported to the Golgi complex, where they are modified into complex sphingolipids.
In humans, mutations in the gene encoding DEGS1 cause a loss of the myelin sheath leading to a fatal neurodegenerative condition in children called hypomyelinating leukodystrophy-18. So far, it was unclear whether the accumulation of dihydroceramide or the depletion of ceramide might alter the function of neurons and glia enough to trigger neurodegeneration.
Zhu et al. addressed this question using genetically modified fruit fly larvae that lacked the DEGS1 gene. They discovered that in fruit flies, DEGS1 protects the nervous system from neurodegeneration by supporting the development and function of glial cells. In flies that lacked the gene, dihydroceramide accumulated in the central nervous system, which enlarged the endoplasmic reticulum in glial cells, causing them to swell. These morphological defects inhibited their ability to enwrap the cell bodies and axons of neurons with a supporting glial sheath. This suggests that a faulty DEGS1 gene may drive neurodegeneration as a secondary consequence of glial dysfunction.
By establishing a simple model system, Zhu et al. provide insight into how glial cells may contribute to neurodegeneration. Their results indicate that DEGS1 loss causes structural and functional defects in glial cells, preventing them from supporting neurons and ultimately leading to neurodegeneration. Because the ceramide synthesis pathway is conserved between fruit flies and humans, similar mechanisms likely contribute to neuronal degeneration in patients with DEGS1 mutations. A deeper understanding of these pathways could help identify strategies to slow the progression of hypomyelinating leukodystrophy-18 and open new avenues for therapy.
