title: Local calcium changes regulate the length of growth cone filopodia.
abstract: Previous studies have demonstrated that the free intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in growth cones can act as an important regulator of growth cone behavior. Here we investigated whether there is a spatial and temporal correlation between [Ca(2+)](i) and one particular aspect of growth cone behavior, namely the regulation of growth cone filopodia. Calcium was released from the caged compound NP-EGTA (o-nitrophenyl EGTA tetrapotassium salt) to simulate a signaling event in the form of a transient increase in [Ca(2+)](i). In three different experimental paradigms, we released calcium either globally (within an entire growth cone), regionally (within a small area of the lamellipodium), or locally (within a single filopodium). We demonstrate that global photolysis of NP-EGTA in growth cones caused a transient increase in [Ca(2+)](i) throughout the growth cone and elicited subsequent filopodial elongation that was restricted to the stimulated growth cone. Pharmacological blockage of either calmodulin or the Ca(2+)-dependent phosphatase, calcineurin, inhibited the effect of uncaging calcium, suggesting that these enzymes are acting downstream of calcium. Regional uncaging of calcium in the lamellipodium caused a regional increase in [Ca(2+)](i), but induced filopodial elongation on the entire growth cone. Elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) locally within an individual filopodium resulted in the elongation of only the stimulated filopodium. These findings suggest that the effect of an elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) on filopodial behavior depends on the spatial distribution of the calcium signal. In particular, calcium signals within filopodia can cause filopodial length changes that are likely a first step towards directed filopodial steering events seen during pathfinding in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Georgia State University, University Plaza, 402 Kell Hall, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA.
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Geddis
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rehder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000502:physiology*; D020439:Growth Cones / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010782:Photolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D011554:Pseudopodia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012908:Snails
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D002118:Calcium