UNC-45A is required for neurite extension via controlling NMII activation

Yoshie Iizuka, Ashley Mooneyham, Andrew Sieben, Kevin Chen, Makayla Maile, Raffaele Hellweg, Florian Schütz, Kebebush Teckle, Timothy Starr, Venugopal Thayanithy, Rachel Isaksson Vogel, Emil Lou, Michael K. Lee, Martina Bazzaro

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

UNC-45A is a highly conserved member of the UNC-45/CRO1/She4p family of proteins, which act as chaperones for conventional and nonconventional myosins. NMII mediates contractility and actin-based motility, which are fundamental for proper growth cone motility and neurite extension. The presence and role of UNC-45A in neuronal differentiation have been largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that UNC-45A is a novel growth cone-localized, NMII-associated component of the multiprotein complex regulating growth cone dynamics. We show that UNC-45A is dispensable for neuron survival but required for neurite elongation. Mechanistically, loss of UNC-45A results in increased levels of NMII activation. Collectively our results provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of neurite growth and define UNC-45A as a novel and master regulator of NMII-mediated cellular processes in neurons.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1337-1346
Number of pages10
JournalMolecular biology of the cell
Volume28
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - May 15 2017

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Iizuka, Mooneyham et al.

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