The development and homeostasis of neurons relies heavily on the selective targeting of vesicles into axon and dendrites. Microtubule-based motor proteins play an important role in polarized transport; however, the sorting mechanism to exclude dendritic cargo from the axon is unclear. We show that the dynein regulator NDEL1 controls somatodendritic cargo transport at the axon initial segment (A...

Spike timing-dependent synaptic plasticity (STDP) serves as a key cellular correlate of associative learning, which is facilitated by elevated attentional and emotional states involving activation of adrenergic signaling. At cellular levels, adrenergic signaling increases dendrite excitability, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here we show that activation of β2-adrenoceptors promot...

The morphology and molecular composition of synapses provide the structural basis for synaptic function. This article reviews the electron microscopy of excitatory synapses on dendritic spines, using data from rodent hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and cerebellar cortex. Excitatory synapses have a prominent postsynaptic density, in contrast with inhibitory synapses, which have less dense presynap...

Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) and its ErbB2/B4 receptors are encoded by candidate susceptibility genes for schizophrenia, yet the essential functions of NRG1 signaling in the CNS are still unclear. Using CRE/LOX technology, we have inactivated ErbB2/B4-mediated NRG1 signaling specifically in the CNS. In contrast to expectations, cell layers in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum develop norm...

A novel synthesis is presented of a fourfold ethynyl-substituted perylene diimide dye 4, which acts as a core molecule for the buildup of polyphenylene dendrimers. Around the luminescent core 4, a first-generation (5), a second-generation (6), and a third-generation (7) polyphenylene dendritic environment consisting of pentaphenylbenzene building blocks are constructed. The dendrimers 5 and 6 a...

Cul3 belongs to the family of cullin proteins, which function as scaffold proteins of E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes. Here we show cell-autonomous involvement of Cul3 in axonal arborization and dendritic elaboration of Drosophila mushroom body neurons. Cul3 mutant neurons are defective in terminal morphogenesis of neurites. Interestingly, mutant axons often terminate around branching points. In ...

The size and shape of dendritic arbors are prime determinants of neuronal connectivity and function. We asked how ON-OFF direction-selective ganglion cells (ooDSGCs) in mouse retina acquire their bistratified dendrites, in which responses to light onset and light offset are segregated to distinct strata. We found that the transcriptional regulator Satb1 is selectively expressed by ooDSGCs. In S...

SNX6 is a ubiquitously expressed PX-BAR protein that plays important roles in retromer-mediated retrograde vesicular transport from endosomes. Here we report that CNS-specific Snx6 knockout mice exhibit deficits in spatial learning and memory, accompanied with loss of spines from distal dendrites of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells. SNX6 interacts with Homer1b/c, a postsynaptic scaffold protein ...

We use monodisperse dendrons that allow control over functional group presentation to investigate the influence of the location of a ligand on protein-induced disassembly and release of encapsulated small molecules. Based on both experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate that ligand location greatly influences release of guest molecules from the dendron-based supramolecular...