title: Beta-catenin is critical for dendritic morphogenesis.
abstract: Regulated growth and arborization of dendritic processes are critical to the formation of functional neuronal networks. Here we identify beta-catenin as a critical mediator of dendritic morphogenesis. We found that increasing the intracellular levels of beta-catenin and other members of the cadherin/catenin complex, namely N-cadherin and alphaN-catenin, enhances dendritic arborization in rat hippocampal neurons, an effect that does not require Wnt/beta-catenin-dependent transcription. Conversely, proteins that sequester beta-catenin decreased dendritic branch tip number and total dendritic branch length. Enhancement of dendritic growth elicited by depolarization requires beta-catenin and increased Wnt release. These results identify Wnt/beta-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.
authors.affiliation: Nancy Friend Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA. yuxiang@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Malenka
mesh_terms: D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000494:pharmacology; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D003712:Dendrites / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D000939:Epitopes / Q000378:metabolism; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051821:Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009154:Mutation; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D011336:Probability; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; C495268:Ctnnb1 protein, rat; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D051821:Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins; D009543:Nifedipine