Prickle modulates microtubule polarity and axonal transport to ameliorate seizures in flies.

ABSTRACT: Recent analyses in flies, mice, zebrafish, and humans showed that mutations in prickle orthologs result in epileptic phenotypes, although the mechanism responsible for generating the seizures was unknown. Here, we show that Prickle organizes microtubule polarity and affects their growth dynamics in axons of Drosophila neurons, which in turn influences both anterograde and retrograde vesicle transport. We also show that enhancement of the anterograde transport mechanism is the cause of the seizure phenotype in flies, which can be suppressed by reducing the level of either of two Kinesin motor proteins responsible for anterograde vesicle transport. Additionally, we show that seizure-prone prickle mutant flies have electrophysiological defects similar to other fly mutants used to study seizur

SUBMITTER: Ehaideb SN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4121842 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature