TY - JOUR T1 - The Neuronal Architecture of <em>Xenopus</em> Retinal Ganglion Cells Is Sculpted by Rho-Family GTPases <em>In Vivo</em> JF - The Journal of Neuroscience JO - J. Neurosci. SP - 8454 LP - 8463 DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.19-19-08454.1999 VL - 19 IS - 19 AU - Maureen L. Ruchhoeft AU - Shin-ichi Ohnuma AU - Lisa McNeill AU - Christine E. Holt AU - William A. Harris Y1 - 1999/10/01 UR - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/19/19/8454.abstract N2 - Dendritogenesis, axonogenesis, pathfinding, and target recognition are all affected in distinct ways when Xenopus retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are transfected with constitutively active (ca), wild-type (wt), and dominant negative (dn) Rho-family GTPases in vivo. Dendritogenesis required Rac1 and Cdc42 activity. Moreover, ca-Rac1 caused dendrite hyperproliferation. Axonogenesis, in contrast, was inhibited by ca-Rac1. This phenotype was partially rescued by the coexpression of dn cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk5), a proposed effector of Rac1, suggesting that Rac1 activity must be regulated tightly for normal axonogenesis. Growth cone morphology was particularly sensitive to dn-RhoA and wt-Cdc42 constructs. These also caused targeting errors, such as tectal bypass, suggesting that cytoskeletal rearrangements are involved in target recognition and are transduced by these pathways. ER -