Nuclear Factor-Y Controls Neurite Extension by Balancing BMP Signaling

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Neuronal circuit formation relies on guidance molecules, but transcriptional regulation is unclear.
• Nuclear Factor-Y (NF-Y) is a conserved transcription factor complex.
• NF-Y subunits (NF-YA, NF-YB, NF-YC) regulate gene expression.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify transcriptional regulators of neuronal circuit formation.
• Investigate the role of NF-Y in neuron fate and axon guidance.
• Elucidate NF-Y's function in neurite development.

Main Methods:

• Conducted an unbiased genetic screen in *Caenorhabditis elegans*.
• Utilized serotonergic neurosecretory-motor neurons (NSM) as a model system.
• Examined the effects of NFYA-1 loss and BMP signaling manipulation.

Main Results:

• NF-Y, specifically NFYA-1, controls neurite development in multiple neuronal subtypes.
• NFYA-1 acts cell-autonomously to limit dorsal neurite length in NSM neurons.
• Loss of NFYA-1 leads to neurite overextension, which is suppressed by DBL-1/BMP signaling.

Conclusions:

• NF-Y is a key transcriptional regulator of neurodevelopmental events.
• NF-Y functions in parallel with established neuronal guidance mechanisms.
• A significant connection exists between NF-Y and BMP signaling in controlling neurite extension across species.