Background: Intricate regulation of the growth cone cytoskeleton controls growth cone dynamics. Results: Loss of CRMP4 disrupts growth cone cytoskeletal dynamics, growth cone expansion, and axon growth. Conclusion: CRMP4 regulates both the actin and microtubule growth cone cytoskeleton. Significance: CRMP4 plays a critical role in regulating cytoskeletal dynamics underlying growth cone properties.

Neurons face a series of morphological and molecular changes following trauma and in the progression of neurodegenerative disease. In neurons capable of mounting a spontaneous regenerative response, including invertebrate neurons and mammalian neurons of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), axons regenerate from the proximal side of the injury and degenerate on the distal side. Studies of Wallerian degeneration slow (Wld /Ola) mice have revealed that a level of coordination between the processes of axon regeneration and degeneration occurs during successful repair. Here, we explore how shared cellular and molecular pathways that regulate both axon regeneration and degeneration coordinate the two distinct outcomes in the proximal and distal axon segments. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 00: 000-000, 2018.

Antibody-mediated capture of amyloid-beta (Aβ) in peripheral blood was identified as an attractive strategy to eliminate cerebral toxic amyloid in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and murine models. Alternatively, defective capacity of peripheral monocytes to engulf Aβ was reported in individuals with AD. In this report, we developed different approaches to investigate cellular uptake and phagocytosis of Aβ, and to examine how two immunological devices--an immunostimulatory Adjuvant System and different amyloid specific antibodies--may affect these biological events. Between one and thirteen months of age, APPswe X PS1.M146V (TASTPM) AD model mice had decreasing concentrations of Aβ in their plasma. In contrast, the proportion of blood monocytes containing Aβ tended to increase with age. Importantly, the TLR-agonist containing Adjuvant System AS01B primed monocytes to promote de novo Aβ uptake capacity, particularly in the presence of anti-Aβ antibodies. Biochemical experiments demonstrated that cells achieved Aβ uptake and internalization followed by Aβ degradation via mechanisms that required effective actin polymerization and proteolytic enzymes such as insulin-degrading enzyme. We further demonstrated that both Aβ-specific monoclonal antibodies and plasma from Aβ-immunized mice enhanced the phagocytosis of 1 μm Aβ-coated particles. Together, our data highlight a new biomarker testing to follow amyloid clearance within the blood and a mechanism of Aβ uptake by peripheral monocytes in the context of active or passive immunization, and emphasize on novel approaches to investigate this phenomenon.

IgLONs are members of the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell adhesion proteins implicated in the process of neuronal outgrowth, cell adhesion and subdomain target recognition. IgLONs form homophilic and heterophilic complexes on the cell surface that repress or promote growth depending on the neuronal population, the developmental stage and surface repertoire of IgLON family members. In the present study, we identified a metalloproteinase-dependent mechanism necessary to promote growth in embryonic dorsal root ganglion cells (DRGs). Treatment of embryonic DRG neurons with pan-metalloproteinase inhibitors, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-3, or an inhibitor of ADAM Metallopeptidase Domain 10 (ADAM10) reduces outgrowth from DRG neurons indicating that metalloproteinase activity is important for outgrowth. The IgLON family members Neurotrimin (NTM) and Limbic System-Associated Membrane Protein (LSAMP) were identified as ADAM10 substrates that are shed from the cell surface of DRG neurons. Overexpression of LSAMP and NTM suppresses outgrowth from DRG neurons. Furthermore, LSAMP loss of function decreases the outgrowth sensitivity to an ADAM10 inhibitor. Together our findings support a role for ADAM-dependent shedding of cell surface LSAMP in promoting outgrowth from DRG neurons.

The small GTPase RhoA regulates the actin cytoskeleton to affect multiple cellular processes including endocytosis, migration and adhesion. RhoA activity is tightly regulated through several mechanisms including GDP/GTP cycling, phosphorylation, glycosylation and prenylation. Previous reports have also reported that cleavage of the carboxy-terminus inactivates RhoA. Here, we describe a novel mechanism of RhoA proteolysis that generates a stable amino-terminal RhoA fragment (RhoA-NTF). RhoA-NTF is detectable in healthy cells and tissues and is upregulated following cell stress. Overexpression of either RhoA-NTF or the carboxy-terminal RhoA cleavage fragment (RhoA-CTF) induces the formation of disorganized actin stress fibres. RhoA-CTF also promotes the formation of disorganized actin stress fibres and nuclear actin rods. Both fragments disrupt the organization of actin stress fibres formed by endogenous RhoA. Together, our findings describe a novel RhoA regulatory mechanism.