Axon/dendrite Targeting of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors by Their Cytoplasmic Carboxy Terminal Domains

The subcellular targeting of neurotransmitter receptors is vital in controlling polarized information flow in the brain. We show here that metabotropic glutamate receptors are differentially targeted when expressed from defective viral vectors in cultured hippocampal neurons: group I mGluR1a and group II mGluR2 are targeted to dendrites and excluded from axons, whereas group III mGluR7 is targeted to axons and dendrites. Chimeras and deletions revealed that axon exclusion of mGluR2 requires its 53 aa C-terminal cytoplasmic domain, whereas axon targeting of mGluR7 requires its 65 aa C-terminal cytoplasmic domain. Insertion of the mGluR7 C-terminal sequence into full length mGluR2 or into the unrelated somatodendritic protein telencephalin induced axon targeting, indicating dominance of the axonal signal; this sequence may be of general use in redirecting dendritic membrane proteins to axons. The sorting signals identified here by analysis of a neuronal protein family are not related to known signals for polarized targeting in epithelial cells and represent novel plasma membrane axon/dendrite targeting signals.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Microbiology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Stowell, Julia Nash

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ann Marie Craig

• Biology, Molecular

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI9971197

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/86760