Proper dendrite morphology is essential for neuronal connectivity and function, and abnormal dendrite morphology is seen in many neurological pathologies. This study characterizes and compares the effects of a group of four proteins – the p120-catenin subfamily – that regulate cytoskeletal remodeling and dendrite morphology. To do this, I tracked the endogenous localization of each p120-subfamily catenin during neuron development, and I determined how altering the expression of each p120-subfamily catenin affects dendrite morphology. I find that all catenins are expressed in dendritic processes and the soma, ARVCF-catenin is expressed at relatively high proportions in the nucleus, and p120-catenin and delta-catenin are expressed at relatively higher proportions in growth cones compared to ARVCF-catenin and p0071-catenin. We find that overexpressing p120-catenin and delta-catenin causes increased dendritic length and branching, and their depletion decreases dendritic length and branching. Furthermore, while increasing ARVCF-catenin expression increases dendritic length and branching, decreasing expression does not result in observable morphological changes. Lastly, increasing p0071-catenin expression increases dendritic branching, but not length, while decreasing p0071-catenin expression decreases dendritic length and branching. The distinct localization patterns and morphological effects of the p120-subfamily catenins during neuron development suggest that they have some shared and some distinct roles during dendrite development
