![Taking Cues from Non-Neuronal Tissue]()
Neurons possess branch-like structures called dendrites, which receive and pass along information in neuronal networks. Abnormalities in the shape of dendrite branching occur in many neuropsychiatric conditions such as autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. So a better understanding of dendrite patterning could lead to new treatments. In research involving the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, Hannes Buelow, Ph.D., and colleagues found that tissue interactions are important in forming the menorah-shaped dendrites of the worm’s PVD somatosensory neurons. The group previously described how the skin protein menorin-1 acts in this process. Now they show that muscle and skin tissue interact to give those dendrites their shape. In particular, the researchers found that the growth factor LECT-2/Chondromodulin II diffuses from body-wall muscles to combine with a skin-derived cell adhesion complex; this protein combination prompts the skin of the worm to participate in dendrite formation. The results were published online on July 21, 2016 in Current Biology. Dr. Buelow is associate professor of genetics and in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience.
Posted on: Tuesday, August 23, 2016