Proper dendrite morphology is essential for neuronal connectivity and function, and abnormal dendrite morphology is seen in many neurological pathologies. This study characterizes and compares the effects of a group of four proteins – the p120-catenin subfamily – that regulate cytoskeletal remodeling and dendrite morphology. To do this, I tracked the endogenous localization of each p120-subfamily catenin during neuron development, and I determined how altering the expression of each p120-subfamily catenin affects dendrite morphology. I find that all catenins are expressed in dendritic processes and the soma, ARVCF-catenin is expressed at relatively high proportions in the nucleus, and p120-catenin and delta-catenin are expressed at relatively higher proportions in growth cones compared to ARVCF-catenin and p0071-catenin. We find that overexpressing p120-catenin and delta-catenin causes increased dendritic length and branching, and their depletion decreases dendritic length and branching. Furthermore, while increasing ARVCF-catenin expression increases dendritic length and branching, decreasing expression does not result in observable morphological changes. Lastly, increasing p0071-catenin expression increases dendritic branching, but not length, while decreasing p0071-catenin expression decreases dendritic length and branching. The distinct localization patterns and morphological effects of the p120-subfamily catenins during neuron development suggest that they have some shared and some distinct roles during dendrite development.
","abstract_html":"<p>Proper dendrite morphology is essential for neuronal connectivity and function, and abnormal dendrite morphology is seen in many neurological pathologies. This study characterizes and compares the effects of a group of four proteins – the p120-catenin subfamily – that regulate cytoskeletal remodeling and dendrite morphology. To do this, I tracked the endogenous localization of each p120-subfamily catenin during neuron development, and I determined how altering the expression of each p120-subfamily catenin affects dendrite morphology. I find that all catenins are expressed in dendritic processes and the soma, ARVCF-catenin is expressed at relatively high proportions in the nucleus, and p120-catenin and delta-catenin are expressed at relatively higher proportions in growth cones compared to ARVCF-catenin and p0071-catenin. We find that overexpressing p120-catenin and delta-catenin causes increased dendritic length and branching, and their depletion decreases dendritic length and branching. Furthermore, while increasing ARVCF-catenin expression increases dendritic length and branching, decreasing expression does not result in observable morphological changes. Lastly, increasing p0071-catenin expression increases dendritic branching, but not length, while decreasing p0071-catenin expression decreases dendritic length and branching. The distinct localization patterns and morphological effects of the p120-subfamily catenins during neuron development suggest that they have some shared and some distinct roles during dendrite development.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Donta, Maxsam","http://www.orcid.org/0000-0002-3633-9319
"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Masters of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Thesis (MS)","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Pierre D. McCrea, PhD","M. Neal Waxham, PhD","Mark T. Bedford, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:48:47Z","subjects":["catenin","neuron","dendrite morphology","p120-catenin","Developmental Neuroscience"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/utgsbs_dissertations/1260","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Pierre D. McCrea, PhD","M. Neal Waxham, PhD","Mark T. Bedford, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Donta, Maxsam","http://www.orcid.org/0000-0002-3633-9319
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"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["P120-Catenin Subfamily Members Have Distinct As Well As Shared Effects On Dendrite Morphology During Neuron Development In Vitro"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Pierre D. McCrea, PhD","M. Neal Waxham, PhD","Mark T. Bedford, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Donta, Maxsam","http://www.orcid.org/0000-0002-3633-9319
"],"dc:date.available":["2024-04-23T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Proper dendrite morphology is essential for neuronal connectivity and function, and abnormal dendrite morphology is seen in many neurological pathologies. This study characterizes and compares the effects of a group of four proteins – the p120-catenin subfamily – that regulate cytoskeletal remodeling and dendrite morphology. To do this, I tracked the endogenous localization of each p120-subfamily catenin during neuron development, and I determined how altering the expression of each p120-subfamily catenin affects dendrite morphology. I find that all catenins are expressed in dendritic processes and the soma, ARVCF-catenin is expressed at relatively high proportions in the nucleus, and p120-catenin and delta-catenin are expressed at relatively higher proportions in growth cones compared to ARVCF-catenin and p0071-catenin. We find that overexpressing p120-catenin and delta-catenin causes increased dendritic length and branching, and their depletion decreases dendritic length and branching. Furthermore, while increasing ARVCF-catenin expression increases dendritic length and branching, decreasing expression does not result in observable morphological changes. Lastly, increasing p0071-catenin expression increases dendritic branching, but not length, while decreasing p0071-catenin expression decreases dendritic length and branching. The distinct localization patterns and morphological effects of the p120-subfamily catenins during neuron development suggest that they have some shared and some distinct roles during dendrite development.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/utgsbs_dissertations/1260"],"dc:subject":["catenin","neuron","dendrite morphology","p120-catenin","Developmental Neuroscience"],"dc:title":["P120-Catenin Subfamily Members Have Distinct As Well As Shared Effects On Dendrite Morphology During Neuron Development In Vitro"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (MS)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Masters of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:48:47Z"}