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Rearrangement of microtubule polarity orientation during conversion of dendrites to axons in cultured pyramidal neurons
Journal article

Rearrangement of microtubule polarity orientation during conversion of dendrites to axons in cultured pyramidal neurons

Daisuke Takahashi, Wenqian Yu, Peter W Baas, Rika Kawai-Hirai and Kensuke Hayashi
Cell motility and the cytoskeleton, v 64(5), pp 347-359
May 2007
PMID: 17342761

Abstract

Animals, Newborn Biomarkers - metabolism Rats, Wistar Microtubule-Associated Proteins - metabolism Cells, Cultured Microtubules - physiology Rats Neurons - cytology Axons - physiology Dendrites - ultrastructure Cerebral Cortex - cytology Animals Neurons - ultrastructure Dendrites - physiology Axons - ultrastructure Microtubules - ultrastructure Neurons - metabolism Pyramidal Tracts - cytology
Axons and dendrites of neurons differ in the polarity orientation of their microtubules. Whereas the polarity orientation of microtubules in axons is uniform, with all plus ends distal, that in dendrites is nonuniform. The mechanisms responsible for establishment and maintenance of microtubule polarity orientation in neuronal processes remain unclear, however. We previously described a culture system in which dendrites of rat cortical neurons convert to axons. In the present study, we examined changes in microtubule polarity orientation in such dendrites. With the use of the hooking procedure and electron microscopy, we found that microtubule polarity orientation changed from nonuniform to uniform, with a plus end-distal arrangement, in dendrites that gave rise to axons during culture of neurons for 24 h. Microtubule polarity orientation remained nonuniform in dendrites that did not elongate. Axon regeneration at the dendritic tip thus triggered the disappearance of minus end-distal microtubules from dendrites. These minus end-distal microtubules also disappeared from dendrites during axon regeneration in the presence of inhibitors of actin polymerization, suggesting that actin-dependent transport of microtubules is not required for this process and implicating a previously unidentified mechanism in the establishment and maintenance of microtubule polarity orientation in neuronal processes.

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Cell Biology
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