Investigating the Role of Endocytosis in Neuron Injury Response

Open Access
- Author:
- Mirshahi, Hannah Sophia
- Area of Honors:
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Melissa Rolls, Thesis Supervisor
Lorraine C Santy, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- endocytosis
microtubules
neuron injury recovery
neuroprotection
neurobiology
neurodegenerative disease - Abstract:
- The intake of extracellular signals and cargo is required for cell survival. Mechanisms of cargo internalization are needed to uptake these materials. Although events upstream and downstream of cargo intake are known in axons and the cell bodies of neurons, these events are not as well understood in dendrites. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is a key cellular mechanism of internalization. Clathrin, the most critical protein involved in endocytosis, specifically localizes to dendritic branch points. Microtubule nucleation, which is a critical neuron injury response mechanism, is initiated specifically at dendritic branch points due to the localization of its initiating template monomer, γTubulin. Although previous studies have elucidated the wnt signaling pathway that initiates this injury response, the localization of its initiation at dendritic branch points and the significance of this positioning is unknown. Using genetic manipulation in Drosophila Melanogaster model organisms and confocal microscopy techniques, we find that sites of local endocytosis localize to dendritic branch points and act upstream of microtubule nucleation in neurons. Our findings introduce the potential significance of a neuron’s surrounding cell environment in injury responses while encouraging the further study of endocytosis machinery as potential therapeutic targets.