title: Second messenger signaling for neuronal polarization: cell mechanics-dependent pattern formation.
abstract: Neuronal polarization is a critical step in the neuronal morphogenesis. Despite the identification of several evolutionarily conserved factors for neural polarization, the exact mechanisms by which cells initiate and maintain polarity remain to be characterized. Here, we review the recent progress on the roles of second messengers, specifically the cyclic nucleotides and membrane-associated phospholipids, in the initiation, propagation, and integration of polarization signals, and propose an inhibitor-free model for neural polarization. The characteristic features of neuron polarization include the formation of single axon and multiple dendrites. These features involve chemical and mechanical mechanisms such as reaction-diffusion and tug-of-war, by which second messengers can act in concert to initiate and stabilize the cellular asymmetry. Nevertheless, biochemical factors eliciting the long-range inhibition remain ambiguous. Thus, we provide a simple, inhibitor-free model that can incorporate known cytochemical and cytomechanical factors, and produce features of neuronal polarization in environments provided with minimized extracellular regulators.
authors: Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.
authors: Chin-Lin
authors: CL
authors: Guo
authors: Pei-Lin
authors: PL
authors: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016764:Cell Polarity / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D015290:Second Messenger Systems / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: cell mechanics; long-range repression; mathematical modeling; neuronal polarization; second messenger