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Rho GTPases regulate distinct aspects of dendritic arbor growth in Xenopus central neurons in vivo

Nature Neuroscience volume 3, pages 217–225 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

The development and structural plasticity of dendritic arbors are governed by several factors, including synaptic activity, neurotrophins and other growth-regulating molecules. The signal transduction pathways leading to dendritic structural changes are unknown, but likely include cytoskeleton regulatory components. To test whether GTPases regulate dendritic arbor development, we collected time-lapse images of single optic tectal neurons in albino Xenopus tadpoles expressing dominant negative or constitutively active forms of Rac, Cdc42 or RhoA. Analysis of images collected at two-hour intervals over eight hours indicated that enhanced Rac activity selectively increased branch additions and retractions, as did Cdc42 to a lesser extent. Activation of endogenous RhoA decreased branch extension without affecting branch additions and retractions, whereas dominant-negative RhoA increased branch extension. Finally, we provide data suggesting that RhoA mediates the promotion of normal dendritic arbor development by NMDA receptor activation.

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Figure 1: Expression of Rho GTPases and their effect on the actin cytoskeleton.
Figure 2: RhoA activity blocks dendritic arbor elaboration.
Figure 3: Rac activity promotes dendritic branch dynamics.
Figure 4: Rac and Cdc42 increase transient branches.
Figure 5: Rac and RhoA affect dendritic arbor complexity.
Figure 6: NMDA receptor-mediated arbor growth operates through RhoA.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Wun Chey Sin for providing the EGFP-Cdc42N17 and EGFP-RhoN19 viruses, Kim Bronson for technical assistance and Neil Mahapatra for help with the Sholl analysis. Support for the work was provided by the NIH (H.T.C., L.V.A.) and the Eppley Foundation (H.T.C.).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Beckman Bldg., 1 Bungtown Rd., Cold Spring Harbor, 11724, New York, USA

    Zheng Li, Linda Van Aelst & Hollis T. Cline

  2. Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, New York, 11794, USA

    Zheng Li & Hollis T. Cline

Authors
  1. Zheng Li
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  2. Linda Van Aelst
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  3. Hollis T. Cline
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Correspondence to Hollis T. Cline.

Supplementary information

Time-lapse movies of dendritic arbor dynamics in vivo in a control and RacV12 neuron generated from confocal images through the z axis of the neurons collected every 3 min. The dendritic arbor of the RacV12 neuron shows more branch extensions and retractions than the control neuron.

Requires quicktime plug-in, download quicktime now at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/

Cline movie 1 (QT 248 KB)

Dendritic growth in vivo of control Xenopus neurons.

Cline movie 2 (QT 396 KB)

Dendritic growth in vivo of neurons in RacV12 mutant Xenopus, which have a constitutively active form of the gene for a Rho GTPase.

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Li, Z., Van Aelst, L. & Cline, H. Rho GTPases regulate distinct aspects of dendritic arbor growth in Xenopus central neurons in vivo. Nat Neurosci 3, 217–225 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/72920

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