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Mice Study Reveals DLK1 Source Researchers found that in mice with shortened telomeres, microglia is a source of DLK1, a protein that inhibits the maturation of myelin-producing cells. In an article published in Neuron on August 11, the authors separately investigated the source and action of the soluble form of DLK1, sDLK1. In a telomere model, excess sDLK1 in the spinal fluid primarily came from microglia, and in other experiments, the protein itself delayed the maturation of myelin-producing cells. The authors bred mice without the Terc gene, necessary for telomerase enzyme function, for three generations. In the third-generation mice, the telomere signal in microglia was lower, and microglia acquired signs of cellular aging. At the same time, there were changes in the gene function of oligodendrocytes, the cells that produce the myelin sheath around nerve fibers. A 2023 study had already shown that DLK1 of neuronal origin can delay the maturation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells. The current authors investigated whether microglia with signs of cellular aging could be a source of the same protein. A July study had found inflamed microglia with signs of cellular aging near myelinated fibers in old mice. The current experiments tested one of the signals through which such microglia may affect myelin cells. 🔗 Read original →