title: Delta-catenin is required for the maintenance of neural structure and function in mature cortex in vivo.
abstract: Delta-catenin is a brain-specific member of the adherens junction complex that localizes to the postsynaptic and dendritic compartments. This protein is likely critical for normal cognitive function; its hemizygous loss is linked to the severe mental retardation syndrome Cri-du-Chat and it directly interacts with presenilin-1 (PS1), the protein most frequently mutated in familial Alzheimer's disease. Here we examine dendritic structure and cortical function in vivo in mice lacking delta-catenin. We find that in cerebral cortex of 5-week-old mice, dendritic complexity, spine density, and cortical responsiveness are similar between mutant and littermate controls; thereafter, mutant mice experience progressive dendritic retraction, a reduction in spine density and stability, and concomitant reductions in cortical responsiveness. Our results indicate that delta-catenin regulates the maintenance of dendrites and dendritic spines in mature cortex but does not appear to be necessary for the initial establishment of these structures during development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Matter
authors.forename: Mochtar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pribadi
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Joshua T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Trachtenberg
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D051177:Catenins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D048429:Cell Size; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000502:physiology*; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008839:Microelectrodes; D009154:Mutation; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D000095002:Delta Catenin
chemical_list: D051177:Catenins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D000095002:Delta Catenin