| First Author | Yuan L | Year | 2015 |
| Journal | J Biol Chem | Volume | 290 |
| Issue | 17 | Pages | 10947-57 |
| PubMed ID | 25724647 | Mgi Jnum | J:222121 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5643993 | Doi | 10.1074/jbc.M114.632679 |
| Citation | Yuan L, et al. (2015) delta-Catenin Regulates Spine Architecture via Cadherin and PDZ-dependent Interactions. J Biol Chem 290(17):10947-57 |
| abstractText | The ability of neurons to maintain spine architecture and modulate it in response to synaptic activity is a crucial component of the cellular machinery that underlies information storage in pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus. Here we show a critical role for delta-catenin, a component of the cadherin-catenin cell adhesion complex, in regulating spine head width and length in pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus. The loss of Ctnnd2, the gene encoding delta-catenin, has been associated with the intellectual disability observed in the cri du chat syndrome, suggesting that the functional roles of delta-catenin are vital for neuronal integrity and higher order functions. We demonstrate that loss of delta-catenin in a mouse model or knockdown of delta-catenin in pyramidal neurons compromises spine head width and length, without altering spine dynamics. This is accompanied by a reduction in the levels of synaptic N-cadherin. The ability of delta-catenin to modulate spine architecture is critically dependent on its ability to interact with cadherin and PDZ domain-containing proteins. We propose that loss of delta-catenin during development perturbs synaptic architecture leading to developmental aberrations in neural circuit formation that contribute to the learning disabilities in a mouse model and humans with cri du chat syndrome. |
