Characterization of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels in oligodendrocytes

Mature oligodendrocytes (OLG) are the myelin-forming cells of the central nervous system. Recent work has shown a dynamic role for these cells in the plasticity of neural circuits, leading to a renewed interest in voltage-sensitive currents in OLG. Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels and their respective current (I_h) were recently identified in mature OLG and shown to play a role in regulating myelin length. Here we provide a biochemical and electrophysiological characterization of HCN channels in cells of the oligodendrocyte lineage. We observed that mice with a nonsense mutation in the Hcn2 gene (Hcn2^ap/ap) have less white matter than their wild type counterparts with fewer OLG and fewer oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). Hcn2^ap/ap mice have severe motor impairments, although these deficits were not observed in mice with HCN2 conditionally eliminated only in oligodendrocytes (Cnp^cre/+; Hcn2^F/F). However, Cnp^cre/+; Hcn2^F/F mice develop motor impairments more rapidly in response to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We conclude that HCN2 channels in OLG may play a role in regulating metabolism.