Killam Seminar Series: The Genesis of Form in the Nervous System: Cytoskeletal–Interacting Proteins During Neuronal Migration, Lamination, and Connectivity

Supported by the generosity of the Killam Trusts, the MNI's Killam Seminar Series invites outstanding guest speakers whose research is of interest to the scientific community at the MNI and McGill University.

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Angelo Iulianella, PhD

Professor, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University

Host: Yang Zhou

Abstract: The generation of form during development is dependent upon a tightly choreographed series of events including cell migration, interaction, and shape changes. The cytoskeleton, composed of actin and microtubule filaments and associated proteins, plays a key role in orchestrating tissue morphogenesis and regulating the polarization of cells. The cytoskeleton itself is highly dynamic, composed of a growing end that remodels the shape of cells during their migration in response to cues from the environment. For example, the actin dynamics in the neuronal growth cone responds to chemoattractive cues to extend growing neurites during the wiring up of the nervous system. And the cytoskeleton plays an essential role in the migration of newborn neurons during the creation of laminated structures such as the retina, cerebral cortex, and cerebellum. Yet we have an incomplete understanding of how the neuronal cytoskeleton is regulated in time and space to achieve such remarkably efficient and beautiful neuroanatomies.

I will describe recent efforts in the lab at identifying interactors of the neuronal cytoskeleton, and the consequences of their loss for the laminar organization of neural structures, and formation of neuronal morphologies and function.