11 - Second Messenger Signaling in Neuronal Development I Flashcards
What experiments were done to show that epithelial cells could differentiate alone?
In vitro models with manipulation of LKB1
What cells were used to show that epithelial cells could differentiate alone?
Intestinal epithelial cells
Why were intestinal epithelial cells used to show that epithelial cells could differentiate alone?
Intestinal epithelial cells did not endogenously have LKB1
What were the control and experimental groups of the experiments that showed that epithelial cells could differentiate alone?
Control: No LKB1
Experimental: Overexpression of LKB1
In the experiments that showed that epithelial cells could differentiate alone, what was measured and how?
The actin cytoskeleton was tracked using a fluorescent label
Why was actin targeted for the experiments that showed that epithelial cells could differentiate alone?
Actin is used to create the microvillae structure on the apical domain of the cell
What did LKB1 do to intestinal epithelial cells (in the in vitro experiments)?
Causes actin cytoskeleton to localize to the apical domain to form the microvillae structure
What did the time course experiment of intestinal epithelial cells with overexpressed LKB1 show?
Over time, the actin cytoskeleton relocated to the apical domain
What is the structure of the actin cytoskeleton in intestinal epithelial cells without LKB1?
Uniformly distributed
How long does cytoskeletal reorganization take in intestinal epithelial cells with overexpressed LKB1?
24 hours
True or false: there are many processes needed for epithelial cells to polarize
True: each of these can be investigated and tracked in experiments
What does ZO1 do?
Act as a marker or tight junctions
How was ZO1 used to study epithelial polarization?
Can use ZO1 to see how tight junctions change when LKB1 is added to the system
What happened when LKB1 and ZO1 was added to epithelial cells in experiments?
The LKB1 caused the ZO1 (tight junctions) to localize
How can cell surface receptors be tracked in cell polarization studies?
By using specific markers for a certain domain (a set of markers for apical domain, and another set of markers for basolateral domain)
When happened when cell surface markers were used in conjunction with LKB1 in epithelial cell studies?
The markers localized to their respective regions
What is downstream of LKB1?
A large family of kinases, and the PAR proteins
What does LKB1 do in neuronal development?
Acts as a signal for axon initiation
What is the model system to study LKB1 on axonal development?
In vitro hippocampal neurons (isolated)
What is the ultimate goal of a researcher studying neuronal development?
Understand how development happens in vivo
True or false: in vivo studies are easier than in vitro studies
False: in vivo studies are significantly more expensive and difficult
Why do researchers use in vitro models, when their ultimate goal is to understand development in vivo?
Because they can do robust experimentation in a simpler system
What is the simplest experiment that can be done?
“Go and take a look”
What does a “go and take a look” study refer to?
Observing where certain proteins are localized within the cell
What was shown in observational studies of neuronal development?
LKB1 localized to the axons of these cells