Title: Transcriptional regulation of neuronal polarity
Description: Neuronal polarization, the process by which neurons generate axons and dendrites is essential for normal brain development and function. The role of local signaling pathways at the nascent axon has been examined. However, cell-intrinsic transcriptional mechanisms that govern the establishment of neuronal polarity remain to be identified. My dissertation research has uncovered that FOXO transcription factors are key regulators of neuronal polarity. Knockdown of endogenous FOXO proteins in primary neurons and in the rat cerebellar cortex in vivo , impairs neuronal polarization. I have also identified the protein kinase Pak1 as a critical direct target gene of the FOXO proteins. Knockdown of endogenous Pak1 phenocopies the effect of FOXO knockdown on neuronal polarity. Importantly, exogenous expression of Pak1 in the background of FOXO knockdown in primary neurons and in postnatal rat pups in vivo restores the polarized morphology of neurons. These findings define the FOXO proteins and Pak1 as components of a cell-intrinsic transcriptional pathway that orchestrates neuronal polarity, thus identifying a novel function for the FOXO transcription factors in a unique aspect of neural development. I have also found that the kinases SAD-A/B, which regulate axon formation and neuronal polarization, induce FOXO-dependent transcription by direct phosphorylation of FOXO proteins. Importantly, forced expression of SAD-A in the nucleus induced the formation of multiple axons as effectively as WT SAD-A.

The SAD-A induced multiple axon phenotype is mediated by FOXO proteins, as induction of FOXO-RNAi in the background of SAD-A expression leads to unpolarized neurons. These findings suggest that the protein kinases SAD-A/B play a key role in the regulation of FOXO-dependent neuronal polarity. In addition to a role in specification of axons and dendrites, leading to normal neuronal polarity, knockdown of FOXO proteins after polarity is established reveals their requirement in the coordinate growth of axons and dendrites. I have identified Id2 as a direct FOXO transcriptional target in neurons. Id2 regulates the coordinate growth of axons and dendrites, by inhibition of bHLH-dependent transcription. Taken together, my dissertation work defines FOXO proteins as important regulators of neuronal polarity by both promoting specification of axons and dendrites and regulating their coordinate growth.