Dendritic tiling; new insights from genetics.
Two papers in the current issues of Neuron (Gallegos and Bargmann) and Cell (Emoto et al.) identify a conserved kinase, SAX-1/Trc, and a large protein required for Trc activity, SAX-2/Fry, as essential elements in the control of dendritic branching and tiling in Drosophila and C. elegans. The tiling and ectopic branching phenotypes of trc mutants appear to be independently generated. Thus, this kinase is the first signaling protein to be associated specifically with tiling.
Zinn
Kai
K
Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
D000818:Animals; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D003712:Dendrites / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; C415970:sax-1 protein, C elegans; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases