Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Neuronal polarity
- Neurons have
polarity
- Axons and dendrites
are distinct
- Functionally
distinct
- Dendrites
integrate
incoming
information
- Axons carry
information away
from cell body in
action potentials
- Structurally
- Axons have
highly polarised
microtubules`
- Dendrites also have
microtubules, but these
are less ordered and
have mixed orientations
- Molecularly
- Microtubules are stabilised
through cross-linking by
microtubule-associated proteins,
which are distinct between axons
(Tau) and dendrites (MAP2)
- The plasma
membrane is also
compartmentalised
- Actin-dependent diffusion
barrier maintains membrane
compartments
- Beads coated with antibodies to
L1 cannot easily be dragged
(using optical tweezers) across
the boundary into the cell body,
whereas GluR1-coated can be
dragged into dendrites from cell
body.
- From Winckler et
al., 1999 Nature
v397, p698
- Somatodendritic
vs axonal
domains
- Cell surface molecules appear to
be held in particular sections by
the underlying actin cytoskeleton
- L1, like other axonal
components, is
added to the axon
at
the growth cone
- L1 is a cell surface
adhesion molecule that
is restricted to axons
- whereas the glutamate
receptor component, GluR1, is
restricted to the cell body and
dendrites
- How is neuronal polarity set up?
- Neurite selection in
hippocampal neurons
- Dotti et al., 1988 J
Neurosci v8, p1454
- Because microtubules are polarised
in axons, GFP-labelled, plus (+) end
directed kinesins (e.g. Kif-1) mark
where axons are forming:
- Choice of neurite appears
to be ‘stochastic’ after
different neurites are ‘tried
out’
- How are
neurites
selected?
- Microtubule stabilisation is
critical for axon initiation
- What underlies axon choice?
- Growth cones and
neurites contain dynamic
MTs (tyrosinated)
- Stabilised MTs (acetylated) are
present in newly polarised axon
- Artificial stabilisation of MTs by localised taxol
treatment of one neurite selects for axon
formation:
- Suggests competition between
axons to stabilise MTs and some
kind of feedback loop to suppress
other neurites (only one axon)
- What is the feedback loop?
- Conceptual Mechanisms
for Long-Range Inhibition -
‘The Feedback Loop’
- (A) Diffusible inhibitor
- An autocatalytic activator (A,
green) produces an inhibitory
molecule (I, red) that diffuses
throughout the cytoplasm to act
as a long-range inhibitor of
leading-edge formation.
- (B) Limiting component
- An autocatalytic activator in the front
inhibits activation elsewhere by
consuming essential substrates (S, gold) of
the positive feedback loop, rather than
generating a diffusible inhibitor (as in A).
- Houk et al. Cell
(2012) vol. 148 (1-2)
pp. 175-88
- PI3 Kinase, GSK3ß and SAD kinases
- HRas<=>PI3K +ve feedback
loop = activator?
- Overexpression of Hras or PI3K activation results in multiple axons
- HRas accumulates in GCs as symmetry is broken in a
PI3K-dependent manner (LY294002 = PI3K inhibitor)
- Activation of PI3K (iRAP) activates HRas
- Fivaz et al. Robust neuronal
symmetry breaking by
Ras-triggered local positive
feedback. Curr Biol (2008)
vol. 18 (1) pp. 44-50
- Downstream of many signalling
receptors, PI3K elevates PIP3 which
phosphorylates Akt
- Evidence of elevated PIP3
(phosphorylated Akt) is
found in nascent axons (but
not naïve neurites).
- GSK3ß is inhibited by PIP3
- GSK3ß also regulates MAPs.
- Inhibition of GSK3ß results in multiple axons (A,B)
- SAD kinases are related to
Partitioning-defective (PAR) kinases, which are
involved in many polarising events (e.g.
asymmetric division in C. elegans) and
phosphorylate MAPs.
- Loss of SAD kinases -> loss of axons (E)
- LKB1 regulates SAD kinases
- Ser/Thr kinase LKB1 = mammalian Par4.
- Can polarise non-polarised cells
- Phosphorylated LKB1 activates SAD kinases
- Loss of LKB1 in cortex -> loss
of axon initiation
- But what are the ‘polarised
extracellular cues’?
- Semaphorins
- a family of inhibitory
guidance cues
- Sema3A attracts dendrites and
suppresses axons in the developing
cortex
- Sema3A is expressed in a
gradient from basal to
apical and attracts
dendrites basally
- Sema3A also promotes dendrite
formation at the expense of axons in
vitro
- Sema3A increases [cGMP] and
suppresses [cAMP], thus inhibiting
phosphorylation of LKB1 and
GSK3ß*
- * Protein Kinase A (PKA) and
PKG affect intracellular levels
of cAMP and cGMP
respectively. See LKB1 slide to
see how this feeds into the
pathway
- Manipulation of cAMP and
cGMP have opposite effects
on axon and dendrite
formation.