title: HspB5/αB-crystallin increases dendritic complexity and protects the dendritic arbor during heat shock in cultured rat hippocampal neurons.
abstract: The small heat shock protein ΗspΒ5 (αB-crystallin) exhibits generally cytoprotective functions and possesses powerful neuroprotective capacity in the brain. However, little is known about the mode of action of ΗspΒ5 or other members of the HspB family particularly in neurons. To get clues of the neuronal function of HspBs, we overexpressed several HspBs in cultured rat hippocampal neurons and investigated their effect on neuronal morphology and stress resistance. Whereas axon length and synapse density were not affected by any HspB, dendritic complexity was enhanced by HspB5 and, to a lesser extent, by HspB6. Furthermore, we could show that this process was dependent on phosphorylation, since a non-phosphorylatable mutant of HspB5 did not show this effect. Rarefaction of the dendritic arbor is one hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases. To investigate if HspB5, which is upregulated at pathophysiological conditions, might be able to protect dendrites during such situations, we exposed HspB5 overexpressing neuronal cultures to heat shock. HspB5 prevented heat shock-induced rarefaction of dendrites. In conclusion, we identified regulation of dendritic complexity as a new function of HspB5 in hippocampal neurons.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Britta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bartelt-Kirbach
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Margarethe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moron
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Maximilian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glomb
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Clara-Maria
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Marie-Pascale
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Weller
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany. nikola.golenhofen@uni-ulm.de.
authors.forename: Nikola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Golenhofen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003459:Crystallins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000378:metabolism*; D018869:Heat-Shock Response; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology*; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000378:metabolism; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D000066829:Neuroprotection; D010766:Phosphorylation; D051381:Rats; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism; D014161:Transduction, Genetic
chemical_list: D003459:Crystallins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; C530883:cryaB protein, rat
keywords: Dendritic branching; Hippocampus; Neuroprotection; Small heat shock proteins; Stress tolerance