Rab27a-Dependent Paracrine Communication Controls Dendritic Spine Formation and Sensory Responses in the Barrel Cortex.

ABSTRACT: Rab27a is an evolutionarily conserved small GTPase that regulates vesicle trafficking, and copy number variants of RAB27a are associated with increased risk of autism. However, the function of Rab27a on brain development is unknown. Here, we identified a form of paracrine communication that regulates spine development between distinct populations of developing cortical neurons. In the developing somatosensory cortex of mice, we show that decreasing Rab27a levels in late-born pyramidal neurons destined for layer (L) 2/3 had no cell-autonomous effect on their synaptic integration but increased excitatory synaptic transmission onto L4 neurons that receive somatosensory information. This effect resulted in an increased number of L4 neurons activated by whisker stimulation in juvenile mi

SUBMITTER: Zhang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8000154 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature