title: Dendrites have a rapid program of injury-induced degeneration that is molecularly distinct from developmental pruning.
abstract: Neurons have two types of processes: axons and dendrites. Axons have an active disassembly program activated by severing. It has not been tested whether dendrites have an analogous program. We sever Drosophila dendrites in vivo and find that they are cleared within 24 h. Morphologically, this clearance resembles developmental dendrite pruning and, to some extent, axon degeneration. Like axon degeneration, both injury-induced dendrite degeneration and pruning can be delayed by expression of Wld(s) or UBP2. We therefore hypothesized that they use common machinery. Surprisingly, comparison of dendrite pruning and degeneration in the same cell demonstrated that none of the specific machinery used to prune dendrites is required for injury-induced dendrite degeneration. In addition, we show that the rapid program of dendrite degeneration does not require mitochondria. Thus, dendrites do have a rapid program of degeneration, as do axons, but this program does not require the machinery used during developmental pruning.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Rolls
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003712:Dendrites / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004330:Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007814:Larva; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology*; D034622:RNA Interference / Q000502:physiology; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D020196:Trauma, Nervous System / Q000150:complications*; D064570:Ubiquitin-Specific Proteases
chemical_list: D016827:CD8 Antigens; C111891:DIAP1 protein, Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D015222:Sodium Channels; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D010450:Endopeptidases; D064570:Ubiquitin-Specific Proteases