Neuroscience 2005 Abstract
| Presentation Number: | 710.5 |
|---|---|
| Abstract Title: | Dysregulation of the TSC-TOR pathway disrupts <i>Drosophila</i> retinal axon pathfinding. |
| Authors: |
Knox, S. M.*1
; Easterday, M. C.1
; Arsham, A.1
; Dimitroff, B.1
; Ge, H.1
; Neufeld, T. S.1
; Selleck, S. B.1,2,3
1Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 2Pediatrics , Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 3Developmental Biology Center, Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN |
| Primary Theme and Topics |
Development - Axonal and Dendritic Development -- Axon growth and guidance: Biological effects |
| Secondary Theme and Topics | Development<br />- Development of Sensory and Limbic Systems<br />-- Visual system |
| Session: |
710. Axon Growth and Guidance V Poster |
| Presentation Time: | Tuesday, November 15, 2005 1:00 PM-2:00 PM |
| Location: | Washington Convention Center - Hall A-C, Board # B30 |
| Keywords: | Rheb, PTEN |
Components in the tuberous sclerosis complex - target of rapamycin (TSC-TOR) pathway have been implicated in a number of human behavioral and neurological disorders including autism, epilepsy, and Huntington disease. While the TSC-TOR pathway is known to regulate cell growth, actin cytoskeletal organization, and autophagy, its role in axon guidance is largely unstudied. Here we demonstrate using genetic mosaic strategies that mutations in multiple components of this pathway disrupt retinal axon pathfinding in Drosophila. Photoreceptors mutant for the small GTPase Rheb, a positive regulator of TOR, fail to make proper connections with their target neurons in the optic lobe, stopping short of their target. Conversely, photoreceptors mutant for the negative regulators TSC1 or PTEN project past their targets in the medulla and fail to defasciculate. These phenotypes are not the result of delayed developmental timing, as photoreceptors were competent to reach their targets when mutant for Minute genes, a phenotypic class of mutations that disrupts the protein synthesis machinery and result in slowing of the cell cycle. Our data demonstrate that the TSC-TOR pathway plays a role in retinal axon guidance, and provides a potential mechanism for explaining the phenotypes identified in human neurobehavioral disorders.
Sample Citation:
[Authors]. [Abstract Title]. Program No. XXX.XX. 2005 Neuroscience Meeting Planner. Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience, 2005. Online.
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