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- Title
ß-catenin is critical for dendritic morphogenesis.
- Authors
Xiang Yu; Malenka, Robert C.
- Abstract
Regulated growth and arborization of dendritic processes are critical to the formation of functional neuronal networks. Here we identify ß-catenin as a critical mediator of dendritic morphogenesis. We found that increasing the intracellular levels of ß-catenin and other members of the cadherin/catenin complex, namely N-cadherin and aN-catenin, enhances dendritic arborization in rat hippocampal neurons, an effect that does not require Wnt/ß-catenin-dependent transcription. Conversely, proteins that sequester ß-catenin decreased dendritic branch tip number and total dendritic branch length. Enhancement of dendritic growth elicited by depolarization requires ß-catenin and increased Wnt release. These results identify Wnt/ß-catenin signaling as an important mediator of dendritic development and suggest that the intracellular level of the cadherin/catenin complex is a limiting factor during critical stages of dendritic morphogenesis.
- Subjects
DENDRITIC cells; BIOLOGICAL neural networks; MORPHOGENESIS
- Publication
Nature Neuroscience, 2003, Vol 6, Issue 11, p1169
- ISSN
1097-6256
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/nn1132