Furthermore, both cholesterol and fatty acids can act as signaling units and energy sources to regulate the survival of oligodendrocyte lineage cells in development and during remyelination (Fig. 2)104,107. They form membrane lipid rafts which house pro-survival receptors such as integrin receptors108. Cholesterol intermediates such as 8,9-unsaturated sterols and desmosterol have recently been shown to regulate OPC differentiation during myelination and early remyelination109–113. Microglia provide such intermediates to OPCs during remyelination110, and this can occur through transfer of lipid-containing extracellular vesicles (EVs)114; lipids can be recycled by microglia for export following phagocytosis of myelin debris.
