Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 25, 2026
Genetic Manipulation of Cerebellar Granule Neurons In Vitro and In Vivo to Study Neuronal Morphology and Migration
Published on: March 17, 2014
Role of citron kinase in dendritic morphogenesis of cortical neurons
Ferdinando Di Cunto1, Luciana Ferrara, Roberta Curtetti
1Department of Genetics, Biology and Biochemistry, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Torino, Italy. ferdinando.dicunto@unito.it
Abstract:
Small GTPases of the rho family regulate the extensive rearrangements of the cytoskeleton that characterize neuronal differentiation. Citron kinase is a target molecule for activated rhoA, previously implicated in control of cytokinesis. We have found that, in addition, it could play an important role in modulating the extension of neuronal processes. Using constitutively active and dominant negative mutants, we showed that citron kinase is involved in the morphologic differentiation of N1E-115 neuroblastoma cells induced by serum starvation. More importantly, quantitative analysis of citron kinase knockout cerebral cortex displayed that this molecule may differentially regulate the morphology of the dendritic compartment in corticocollicular versus callosally-projecting pyramidal neurons.
