PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Takeshi Terabayashi
AU  - Tomohiko J. Itoh
AU  - Hideki Yamaguchi
AU  - Yuta Yoshimura
AU  - Yosuke Funato
AU  - Shigeo Ohno
AU  - Hiroaki Miki
TI  - Polarity-Regulating Kinase Partitioning-Defective 1/Microtubule Affinity-Regulating Kinase 2 Negatively Regulates Development of Dendrites on Hippocampal Neurons
AID  - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3986-07.2007
DP  - 2007 Nov 28
TA  - The Journal of Neuroscience
PG  - 13098--13107
VI  - 27
IP  - 48
4099  - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/27/48/13098.short
4100  - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/27/48/13098.full
SO  - J. Neurosci.2007 Nov 28; 27
AB  - Neurons are highly polarized cells that possess two morphologically and functionally different types of protrusions, axons and dendrites, that function in the transmission and reception of neural signals, respectively. A great deal of attention has been paid to the specification and guidance of axons, but the mechanism of dendrite development remains mostly unknown. We report here that a polarity-regulating kinase, partitioning-defective 1 (Par1b)/microtubule affinity-regulating kinase 2 (MARK2), specifically regulates development of dendrites in hippocampal neurons. Ectopic expression of Par1b/MARK2 shortens the length and decreases branching of dendrites without significant effects on axons. Knockdown of endogenous Par1b/MARK2 by RNA interference stimulates dendrite development. Wnt stimulation and Dishevelled expression, both of which are known to induce dendrite development, induced recruitment of Par1b/MARK2 to the membrane fraction. Expression of a Par1b/MARK2 mutant, that contains a myristoylation signal and accumulates exclusively in membranes, does not affect dendrite development. In addition, Par1b/MARK2 efficiently phosphorylated MAP2, which is localized mainly in dendrites. These results indicate that Par1b/MARK2 negatively regulates dendrite development through phosphorylation of MAP2.