Neurons express two different microtubule-severing proteins, namely P60-katanin and spastin. Here, we performed studies on cultured neurons to ascertain whether these two proteins participate differently in axonal branch formation. P60-katanin is more highly expressed in the neuron, but spastin is more concentrated at sites of branch formation. Overexpression of spastin dramatically enhances the formation of branches, whereas overexpression of P60-katanin does not. The excess spastin results in large numbers of short microtubules, whereas the excess P60-katanin results in short microtubules intermingled with longer microtubules. We hypothesized that these different microtubule-severing patterns may be due to the presence of molecules such as tau on the microtubules that more strongly shield them from being severed by P60-katanin than by spastin. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that axons depleted of tau show a greater propensity to branch, and that this is true whether or not the axons are also depleted of spastin. We propose that there are two modes by which microtubule severing is orchestrated during axonal branch formation, one based on the local concentration of spastin at branch sites and the other based on local detachment from microtubules of molecules such as tau that regulate the severing properties of P60-katanin.

Katanin is a heterodimeric enzyme that severs microtubules from the centrosome so that they can move into the axon. Katanin is broadly distributed in the neuron, and therefore presumably also severs microtubules elsewhere. Such severing would generate multiple short microtubules from longer microtubules, resulting in more microtubule ends available for assembly and interaction with other structures. In addition, shorter microtubules are thought to move more rapidly and undergo organizational changes more readily than longer microtubules. In dividing cells, the levels of P60-katanin (the subunit with severing properties) increase as the cell transitions from interphase to mitosis. This suggests that katanin is regulated in part by its absolute levels, given that katanin activity is high during mitosis. In the rodent brain, neurons vary significantly in katanin levels, depending on their developmental stage. Levels are high during rapid phases of axonal growth but diminish as axons reach their targets. Similarly, in neuronal cultures, katanin levels are high when axons are allowed to grow avidly but drop when the axons are presented with target cells that cause them to stop growing. Expression of a dominant-negative P60-katanin construct in cultured neurons inhibits microtubule severing and is deleterious to axonal growth. Overexpression of wild-type P60-katanin results in excess microtubule severing and is also deleterious to axonal growth, but this only occurs in some neurons. Other neurons are relatively unaffected by overexpression. Collectively, these observations indicate that axonal growth is sensitive to the levels of P60-katanin, but that other factors contribute to modulating this sensitivity.

Katanin, the microtubule-severing protein, consists of a subunit termed P60 that breaks the lattice of the microtubule and another subunit termed P80, the functions of which are not well understood. Data presented here show that the ratio of P60 to P80 varies markedly in different tissues, at different phases of development, and regionally within the neuron. P80 is more concentrated in the cell body and less variable during development, whereas P60 often shows concentrations in the distal tips of processes as well as dramatic spikes in expression at certain developmental stages. Overexpression of P60 at various stages in the differentiation of cultured hippocampal neurons results in substantial loss of microtubule mass and a diminution in total process length. In comparison, overexpression of P80, which is thought to augment the severing of microtubules by P60, results in a milder loss of microtubule mass and diminution in process length. At the developmental stage corresponding to axogenesis, overexpression of P60 decreases the total number of processes extended by the neuron, whereas overexpression of P80 produces the opposite result, suggesting that the effects on neuronal morphology are dependent on the degree of microtubule severing and loss of polymer. The microtubules that occupy the axon are notably more resistant to depolymerization in response to excess P60 or P80 than microtubules elsewhere in the neuron, suggesting that regional differences in the susceptibility of microtubules to severing proteins may be a critical factor in the generation and maintenance of neuronal polarity.

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