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Optimizing Visualization of Axonal Transport of Endogenous Cargo by Fluorescence Microscopy in Living Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: February 16, 2024
Expression, transport, and axonal sorting of neuronal CCL21 in large dense-core vesicles
Eiko K de Jong1, Jonathan Vinet, Vesna S Stanulovic
1Department of Medical Physiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Ant. Deusinglaan 1, 9713AV Groningen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Neurons are highly polarized cells, and neuron-neuron communication is based on directed transport and release of neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and neurotrophins. Directed communication may also be attributed to neuron-microglia signaling, since neuronal damage can induce a microglia reaction at specific sites only. However, the mechanism underlying this site-specific microglia reaction is not yet understood. Neuronal CCL21 is a microglia-activating chemokine, which in brain is solely found in endangered neurons and is therefore a candidate for neuron-microglia signaling. Here we present that neuronal CCL21 is sorted into large dense-core vesicles, the secretory granules of the regulated release pathway of neurons. Live-cell imaging studies show preferential sorting of CCL21-containing vesicles into axons, indicating its directed transport. Thus, mouse neurons express and transport a microglia activating factor very similar to signaling molecules used in neuron-neuron communication. These data show for the first time the directed transport of a microglia activating factor in neurons and corroborate the function of neuronal CCL21 in directed neuron-microglia communication.
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