Membrane trafficking that controls localized activation of cell-polarizing molecules

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26830053
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Neurochemistry/Neuropharmacology
• Research Institution: Waseda University (2015); The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (2014)
• Principal Investigator: Akiyama Hiroki 早稲田大学, 人間科学学術院, 助教 (40568854)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 軸索ガイダンス / 成長円錐 / 小胞輸送 / 極性化 / VAMP7 / small GTPase

Outline of Final Research Achievements

During development, neuronal axons can navigate over long distances to find their targets by following environmental guidance cues. Local polarization in growth cones at the tip of developing axons is essential for changing the direction of migration. Here, I investigated possible involvement of vesicle trafficking machinery that does not exhibit full collapse fusion with plasmalemma in local polarization for growth cone turning. Centrifugally transported VAMP7 vesicles migrated back toward the central domain after reaching the leading edge, and growth cones turned toward the side with more VAMP7 vesicle delivery. I focused on Rac and Cdc42 as candidates for VAMP7 vesicle cargo and analyzed the dynamics of those molecules in growth cones. Rac and Cdc42 did migrate toward the leading edge, but the speed was much faster than that of VAMP7 vesicles. Therefore, further investigations are required to identify the cargoes and to clarify the role of VAMP7 vesicle trafficking in axon guidance.

Free Research Field

神経細胞生物学