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Updated: Apr 11, 2026
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Genetic Manipulation of Cerebellar Granule Neurons In Vitro and In Vivo to Study Neuronal Morphology and Migration
Published on: March 17, 2014
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The unfolded protein response is required for dendrite morphogenesis
Xing Wei1, Audrey S Howell1, Xintong Dong1
1Department of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.
Elife
|June 9, 2015
Summary
The unfolded protein response (UPR) is vital for neuron development. This study reveals UPR
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Precise dendritic field patterning is crucial for neuronal circuit formation and function.
- Neuronal development involves exuberant branching, increasing protein production demands.
- Cellular mechanisms managing protein production during rapid dendritic growth are largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the unfolded protein response (UPR) in dendritic morphogenesis.
- To identify key regulators of UPR during the development of complex neuronal structures.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Caenorhabditis elegans sensory neuron PVD model.
- Investigated the physiological unfolded protein response (UPR) during dendrite morphogenesis.
- Perturbed the IRE1 arm of the UPR pathway and analyzed dendritic branching phenotypes.
Main Results:
- Physiological UPR is induced in PVD neurons during dendrite morphogenesis.
- Disrupting the IRE1 arm of UPR leads to loss of dendritic branches.
- Overexpression of ER chaperone HSP-4 rescues the dendritic branching defect.
- The transmembrane protein DMA-1 significantly influences UPR induction and dendritic phenotypes in UPR mutants.
Conclusions:
- The physiological UPR plays a critical role in maintaining ER homeostasis during the development of large dendritic arbors.
- DMA-1 is a key regulator linking UPR to dendritic morphogenesis.
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