title: Regulation of neuronal axon specification by glia-neuron gap junctions inC. elegans.
abstract: Axon specification is a critical step in neuronal development, and the function of glial cells in this process is not fully understood. Here, we show thatC. elegansGLR glial cells regulate axon specification of their nearby GABAergic RME neurons through GLR-RME gap junctions. Disruption of GLR-RME gap junctions causes misaccumulation of axonal markers in non-axonal neurites of RME neurons and converts microtubules in those neurites to form an axon-like assembly. We further uncover that GLR-RME gap junctions regulate RME axon specification through activation of the CDK-5 pathway in a calcium-dependent manner, involving a calpainclp-4. Therefore, our study reveals the function of glia-neuron gap junctions in neuronal axon specification and shows that calcium originated from glial cells can regulate neuronal intracellular pathways through gap junctions.
authors: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, United States.|Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, United States.|Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke Medical Center, Durham, United States.
authors: Lingfeng
authors: L
authors: Meng
authors: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, United States.|Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, United States.|Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke Medical Center, Durham, United States.
authors: Albert
authors: A
authors: Zhang
authors: Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Diego, United States.|Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, United States.
authors: Yishi
authors: 0000-0002-9371-9860
authors: Y
authors: Jin
authors: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, United States.|Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, United States.|Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke Medical Center, Durham, United States.
authors: Dong
authors: 0000-0002-7542-1251
authors: D
authors: Yan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000502:physiology*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: C. elegans; CDK-5; axon specification; gap junctions; glial cells; microtubule polarity; neuroscience; p35