Spastin locally amplifies microtubule dynamics to pattern the axon for presynaptic cargo delivery.

ABSTRACT: Neurons rely on long-range trafficking of synaptic components to form and maintain the complex neural networks that encode the human experience. With a single neuron capable of forming thousands of distinct en passant synapses along its axon, spatially precise delivery of the necessary synaptic components is paramount. How these synapses are patterned, and how efficient delivery of synaptic components is regulated, remains largely unknown. Here, we reveal a novel role for the microtubule severing enzyme spastin in locally enhancing microtubule polymerization to influence presynaptic cargo pausing and retention along the axon. In human neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), we identify sites stably enriched for presynaptic components, termed 'protosynapses', whi

SUBMITTER: Aiken J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10441300 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature