Small GTPase Rab17 regulates dendritic morphogenesis and postsynaptic development of hippocampal neurons.

ABSTRACT: Neurons are compartmentalized into two morphologically, molecularly, and functionally distinct domains: axons and dendrites, and precise targeting and localization of proteins within these domains are critical for proper neuronal functions. It has been reported that several members of the Rab family small GTPases that are key mediators of membrane trafficking, regulate axon-specific trafficking events, but little has been elucidated regarding the molecular mechanisms that underlie dendrite-specific membrane trafficking. Here we show that Rab17 regulates dendritic morphogenesis and postsynaptic development in mouse hippocampal neurons. Rab17 is localized at dendritic growth cones, shafts, filopodia, and mature spines, but it is mostly absent in axons. We also found that Rab17 mediates dendr

SUBMITTER: Mori Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3308742 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature