Regulation of membrane trafficking during neuronal pol,arization

ALFREDO CÁCERES

Nagoya

Conferencia; Seminario institucional (Invited Lecture); 2012

University of Nagoya

The ability of neurons to polarize is crucial for synaptic transmission, and knowledge of the mechanisms that govern neuronal polarization is fundamental to our understanding of neuronal development, plasticity and neurodegenerative diseases. How neuronal polarity is established and how molecules are sorted, delivered and retained in membrane sub domains are central questions in cellular neurobiology. Embryologically, neurons develop from epithelial cells; hence the molecular bases of protein sorting in these two cell types are highly interrelated. Studies in epithelial cells have identified major compartments and mechanisms involved in apical-basolateral plasma membrane trafficking that appear to be highly related to axonal-dendritic sorting mechanisms in neurons. The Trans Golgi Network (TGN) appears to be the major sorting compartment in both cell types; however, the precise mechanisms involved in the assembly and release of vesicular and tubular carriers from the TGN remain poorly understood, particularly so in neurons. Furthermore, neurons exhibit characteristic Golgi-outposts, mini-Golgi structures located within dendrites, which may contribute an additional level for regulating exocytic traffic. In this presentation, I will present evidence about the mechanisms regulating membrane delivery and addition at sites of active growth, as well as the generation of Golgi outposts, during the development of neuronal polarity.