Synapsin III acts downstream of semaphorin 3A/CDK5 signaling to regulate radial migration and orientation of pyramidal neurons in vivo.

ABSTRACT: Synapsin III (SynIII) is a phosphoprotein that is highly expressed at early stages of neuronal development. Whereas in vitro evidence suggests a role for SynIII in neuronal differentiation, in vivo evidence is lacking. Here, we demonstrate that in vivo downregulation of SynIII expression affects neuronal migration and orientation. By contrast, SynIII overexpression affects neuronal migration, but not orientation. We identify a cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (CDK5) phosphorylation site on SynIII and use phosphomutant rescue experiments to demonstrate its role in SynIII function. Finally, we show that SynIII phosphorylation at the CDK5 site is induced by activation of the semaphorin-3A (Sema3A) pathway, which is implicated in migration and orientation of cortical pyramidal neurons (PNs) and is kn

SUBMITTER: Perlini LE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4405008 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature