The role of Ena/VASP and associated proteins in regulation of neuronal morphology and filopodia architecture

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references.During central nervous system development cortical neurons extend a primary axon and multiple collateral branches to connect to numerous synaptic targets. While many guidance cues and their receptors have well-characterized roles in cortical axon guidance, the pathways that link these signals to cytoskeletal remodeling remain poorly understood. The Ena/VASP family of proteins function as key signaling molecules that influences actin reorganization in response to environmental cues, and has been implicated in many aspects of development. My work has focused on defining the mechanisms by which the brain-specific ubiquitin ligase, Trim9, regulates cytoskeletal dynamics in response to the axon guidance cue Netrin-1 and its receptor DCC. I have shown Trim9 binds the cytoplasmic tail of DCC and also binds Ena/VASP proteins and Myosin-X, which are cytoskeletal effectors downstream of Netrin-1. I discovered that inhibition of Trim9 ubiquitin ligase activity specifically blocks Netrin-1 induced cortical branching. I uncovered an interaction between Trim9 and the microtubule-associated protein, Map Ib, a regulator of microtubule stability and axon branching. My data demonstrates that Trim9 coordinates Netrin- 1 induced axon branching via its interaction with the cytoplasmic tail of DCC and cytoskeletal-associated proteins. I have also investigated the role of several actin-associated proteins in regulation of the actin ultra-structure. I used platinum replica electron microscopy to study the architecture of actin in neurons null for the Ena/VASP family, which failed to form axons. We determined the defect in axon formation is due to an inability to form bundled actin filaments and filopodia. In addition, splice isoforms Mena, a member of the Ena/VASP family, are tightly regulated during cancer metastasis and we determined these splicing changes influence the assembly of actin protrusions. My findings have helped to elucidate how environmental signals affect actin cytoskeletal dynamics and how changes in the cytoskeleton influence development.by Leslie Marie Mebane.Ph.D

The Tripartite Motif Protein MADD-2 Functions with the Receptor UNC-40 (DCC) in Netrin-Mediated Axon Attraction and Branching

Neurons innervate multiple targets by sprouting axon branches from a primary axon shaft. We show here that the ventral guidance factor unc-6 (Netrin), its receptor unc-40 (DCC), and the gene madd-2 stimulate ventral axon branching in C. elegans chemosensory and mechanosensory neurons. madd-2 also promotes attractive axon guidance to UNC-6 and assists unc-6- and unc-40-dependent ventral recruitment of the actin regulator MIG-10 in nascent axons. MADD-2 is a tripartite motif protein related to MID-1, the causative gene for the human developmental disorder Opitz syndrome. MADD-2 and UNC-40 proteins preferentially localize to a ventral axon branch that requires their function; genetic results indicate that MADD-2 potentiates UNC-40 activity. Our results identify MADD-2 as an UNC-40 cofactor in axon attraction and branching, paralleling the role of UNC-5 in repulsion, and provide evidence that targeting of a guidance factor to specific axonal branches can confer differential responsiveness to guidance cues.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant number GM0680678

Divergence and Mosaicism among Virulent Soil Phages of the \u3ci\u3eBurkholderia cepacia\u3c/i\u3e Complex

We have determined the genomic sequences of four virulent myophages, Bcep1, Bcep43, BcepB1A, and Bcep781, whose hosts are soil isolates of the Burkholderia cepacia complex. Despite temporal and spatial separations between initial isolations, three of the phages (Bcep1, Bcep43, and Bcep781, designated the Bcep781 group) exhibit 87% to 99% sequence identity to one another and most coding region differences are due to synonymous nucleotide substitutions, a hallmark of neutral genetic drift. Phage BcepB1A has a very different genome organization but is clearly a mosaic with respect to many of the genes of the Bcep781 group, as is a defective prophage element in Photorhabdus luminescens. Functions were assigned to 27 out of 71 predicted genes of Bcep1 despite extreme sequence divergence. Using a lambda repressor fusion technique, 10 Bcep781-encoded proteins were identified for their ability to support homotypic interactions. While head and tail morphogenesis genes have retained canonical gene order despite extreme sequence divergence, genes involved in DNA metabolism and host lysis are not organized as in other phages. This unusual genome arrangement may contribute to the ability of the Bcep781-like phages to maintain a unified genomic type. However, the Bcep781 group phages can also engage in lateral gene transfer events with otherwise unrelated phages, a process that contributes to the broader-scale genomic mosaicism prevalent among the tailed phages

Ena/VASP Is Required for Neuritogenesis in the Developing Cortex

Mammalian cortical development involves neuronal migration and neuritogenesis; this latter process forms the structural precursors to axons and dendrites. Elucidating the pathways that regulate the cytoskeleton to drive these processes is fundamental to our understanding of cortical development. Here we show that loss of all three murine Ena/VASP proteins, a family of actin regulatory proteins, causes neuronal ectopias, alters intralayer positioning in the cortical plate, and, surprisingly, blocks axon fiber tract formation during corticogenesis. Cortical fiber tract defects in the absence of Ena/VASP arise from a failure in neurite initiation, a prerequisite for axon formation. Neurite initiation defects in Ena/VASP-deficient neurons are preceded by a failure to form bundled actin filaments and filopodia. These findings provide insight into the regulation of neurite formation and the role of the actin cytoskeleton during cortical development.Anna Fuller Foundation (Predoctoral Fellowship)Virginia and Daniel K. Ludwig Graduate FellowshipNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant F32-NS45366)Stanley Medical Research InstituteNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant GM58801)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant U54 GM064346

Divergence and Mosaicism among Virulent Soil Phages of the Burkholderia cepacia Complex

We have determined the genomic sequences of four virulent myophages, Bcep1, Bcep43, BcepB1A, and Bcep781, whose hosts are soil isolates of the Burkholderia cepacia complex. Despite temporal and spatial separations between initial isolations, three of the phages (Bcep1, Bcep43, and Bcep781, designated the Bcep781 group) exhibit 87% to 99% sequence identity to one another and most coding region differences are due to synonymous nucleotide substitutions, a hallmark of neutral genetic drift. Phage BcepB1A has a very different genome organization but is clearly a mosaic with respect to many of the genes of the Bcep781 group, as is a defective prophage element in Photorhabdus luminescens. Functions were assigned to 27 out of 71 predicted genes of Bcep1 despite extreme sequence divergence. Using a lambda repressor fusion technique, 10 Bcep781-encoded proteins were identified for their ability to support homotypic interactions. While head and tail morphogenesis genes have retained canonical gene order despite extreme sequence divergence, genes involved in DNA metabolism and host lysis are not organized as in other phages. This unusual genome arrangement may contribute to the ability of the Bcep781-like phages to maintain a unified genomic type. However, the Bcep781 group phages can also engage in lateral gene transfer events with otherwise unrelated phages, a process that contributes to the broader-scale genomic mosaicism prevalent among the tailed phages