title: Serum inducible kinase is a positive regulator of cortical dendrite development and is required for BDNF-promoted dendritic arborization.
abstract: Serum inducible kinase (SNK), also known as polo-like kinase 2 (PLK2), is a known regulator of mitosis, synaptogenesis and synaptic homeostasis. However, its role in early cortical development is unknown. Herein, we show that snk is expressed in the cortical plate from embryonic day 14, but not in the ventricular/subventricular zones (VZ/SVZ), and SNK protein localizes to the soma and dendrites of cultured immature cortical neurons. Loss of SNK impaired dendritic but not axonal arborization in a dose-dependent manner and overexpression had opposite effects, both in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of SNK also caused abnormal branching of the leading process of migrating cortical neurons in electroporated cortices. The kinase activity was necessary for these effects. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway activity downstream of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) stimulation led to increases in SNK protein expression via transcriptional regulation, and this upregulation was necessary for the growth-promoting effect of BDNF on dendritic arborization. Taken together, our results indicate that SNK is essential for dendrite morphogenesis in cortical neurons.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yueyang Road #320, ION building, Room 426, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Shun-Ling
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Guo-He
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xue-Wen
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Ya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yun-Fang
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Jiong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Zhi-Qi
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Xiong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003712:Dendrites / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D011494:Protein Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C444640:serum-inducible kinase; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases