The Role of Protein Arginine Methylation as Post-Translational Modification on Actin Cytoskeletal Components in Neuronal Structure and Function

Autor: Britta Qualmann, Michael M. Kessels
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Cells, Vol 10, Iss 5, p 1079 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2073-4409
DOI: 10.3390/cells10051079
Popis: The brain encompasses a complex network of neurons with exceptionally elaborated morphologies of their axonal (signal-sending) and dendritic (signal-receiving) parts. De novo actin filament formation is one of the major driving and steering forces for the development and plasticity of the neuronal arbor. Actin filament assembly and dynamics thus require tight temporal and spatial control. Such control is particularly effective at the level of regulating actin nucleation-promoting factors, as these are key components for filament formation. Arginine methylation represents an important post-translational regulatory mechanism that had previously been mainly associated with controlling nuclear processes. We will review and discuss emerging evidence from inhibitor studies and loss-of-function models for protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs), both in cells and whole organisms, that unveil that protein arginine methylation mediated by PRMTs represents an important regulatory mechanism in neuritic arbor formation, as well as in dendritic spine induction, maturation and plasticity. Recent results furthermore demonstrated that arginine methylation regulates actin cytosolic cytoskeletal components not only as indirect targets through additional signaling cascades, but can also directly control an actin nucleation-promoting factor shaping neuronal cells—a key process for the formation of neuronal networks in vertebrate brains.
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