An investigation of the role for netrin-1 and the netrin receptor deleted in colorectal cancer in regulating dendritic spine morphology /

Netrins are bifunctional axon guidance cues, known to play an integral role in spinal cord development. It has previously been hypothesized that netrin-1 can regulate synaptogenesis by increasing the chances of axo-dendritic contact by causing axonal and dendritic branching and filopodial formation (N. X. Tritsh, M.Sc. thesis). The current study further investigates the role of netrin-1 at the rodent synapse. The results of this study indicate a possible role for the netrin receptor DCC and netrin-1 in spine morphology. Morphological changes were observed in dendritic spines of netrin-1 and DCC knock-out and heterozygous mice. The phenotypes observed in these mice, along with immunocytochemistry of hippocampal neurons, indicate the possible involvement of Unc5 homologues in dendritic spine morphology. We thus propose here a novel involvement of netrin-1 and the receptors DCC and possibly Unc5 homologues in modulating dendritic spine morphology