Axonal morphogenesis controlled by antagonistic roles of two CRMP subtypes in microtubule organization

Eur J Neurosci. 2003 Jun;17(11):2329-43. doi: 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2003.02664.x.

Abstract

During development, cells undergo dynamic morphological changes by rearrangements of the cytoskeleton including microtubules. However, molecular mechanisms underlying the microtubule remodeling between orientated and disoriented formations are almost unknown. Here we found that novel subtypes of collapsin response mediator proteins (CRMP-As) and the originals (CRMP-Bs), which occur from the alternative usage of different first coding exons, are involved in this conversion of microtubule patterns. Overexpression of CRMP2A and CRMP2B in chick embryonic fibroblasts induced orientated and disoriented patterns of microtubules, respectively. Moreover, sequential overexpression of another subtype overcame the effect of the former expression of the countersubtype. Overexpression experiments in cultured chick retinae showed that CRMP2B promoted axon branching and suppressed axon elongation of ganglion cells, while CRMP2A blocked these effects when co-overexpressed. Our findings suggest that the opposing activities of CRMP2A and CRMP2B contribute to the cellular morphogenesis including neuronal axonogenesis through remodeling of microtubule organization.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Actins / metabolism
  • Adenosine Triphosphate / pharmacology
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Antibodies / metabolism
  • Axons / physiology*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Chick Embryo
  • Dimerization
  • Electroporation / methods
  • Embryonic and Fetal Development
  • Fibroblasts / cytology
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique / methods
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
  • Immunoassay
  • Immunoblotting
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / metabolism
  • Microtubules / physiology*
  • Morphogenesis*
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / classification
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / physiology*
  • Paclitaxel / pharmacology
  • Precipitin Tests
  • Rabbits
  • Retina / cytology
  • Retina / metabolism
  • Sequence Analysis, Protein
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Time Factors
  • Transfection

Substances

  • Actins
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors
  • Antibodies
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • collapsin response mediator protein-2
  • Adenosine Triphosphate
  • Paclitaxel