Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 7 Channel Affects Neurite Outgrowth of Hippocampal Neurons in vitro

Central Nervous System (CNS) neurons are highly specialized cells that assemble into functional networks by extending their axons and dendrites. Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 7 (TRPM7) is a stretch-activated, calcium permeable non-selective cation channel that has previously been shown to be involved in cellular processes that are important for neurite elongation, such as vesicle fusion and cell adhesion by modulating cytoskeletal dynamics. The present study investigates the role of TRPM7 in neurite outgrowth using genetic and pharmacological approaches on cultured mouse hippocampal neurons. Both shRNA knockdown of endogenous TRPM7 expression and blocking of TRPM7 channel function using carvacrol resulted in enhanced neurite elongation, suggesting that TRPM7 may negatively regulate neurite outgrowth process during neuronal development. Co-immunoprecipitation data suggest that TRPM7 may be involved in neurite outgrowth process by modulating actin cytoskeletal dynamics via alpha-actinin-1.MAS