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Neurite branching is associated with mixed microtubule polarity in sea anemone neurons

Bilaterian animals can make polarized neurons with functionally distinct dendrites and axons. A central aspect of this polarity is different arrangements of microtubules; axons have plus-end-out microtubules, while dendrites contain minus-end-out microtubules, allowing different sets of proteins and organelles to be trafficked to each. In cnidarians, unpolarized neurons with multiple plus-end-out axon-like neurites have been described. To determine whether neuronal polarity might exist in cnidarians, we surveyed neurons in the model sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Microtubule polarity was assessed in mosaic animals expressing EB1-GFP, which binds to growing microtubule plus ends. Neurons were separated into general groups based on morphology. Neurons without any branching had predominantly plus-end-out microtubule polarity. Neurons with at least one neurite branch had significantly more minus-end-out microtubules, and neurons with more than one branch had over fifteen percent minus-end-out microtubules. To identify a population of neurons enriched for branching, we performed a promoter screen. We found that the Shal1 promoter labeled cnidocytes and neurons with branched neurites. In these cells about 30% of microtubules were minus-end-out, which is in the range described for vertebrate dendrites. Finally, we re-examined neurons broadly to identify cells that had both branched and unbranched neurites. When these cells had neurites with different polarities, it was typically the branched one that had mixed microtubules. Thus, in Nematostella, neurite branching is associated with more mixed microtubule polarity and our results also suggest that polarized neurons may exist in cnidarian animals.

Citation

Stone, Michelle; Kothe, Gregory; Jegla, Timothy; Rolls, Melissa (2025). Neurite branching is associated with mixed microtubule polarity in sea anemone neurons [Data set]. Scholarsphere. https://doi.org/10.26207/mtr0-1v93

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Work Title Neurite branching is associated with mixed microtubule polarity in sea anemone neurons
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Open Access
Creators
  1. Michelle Stone
  2. Gregory O Kothe
  3. Timothy Jegla
  4. Melissa Rolls
License CC0 1.0 (Public Domain Dedication)
Work Type Dataset
Acknowledgments
  1. National Institutes of Health GM085115
Publication Date July 3, 2025
DOI doi:10.26207/mtr0-1v93
Deposited July 02, 2025

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Version 1
published

  • Created

    July 02, 2025 14:44 by mcs165

  • Updated

    July 02, 2025 14:44 by [unknown user]

  • Updated Description, Publication Date Show Changes

    July 02, 2025 14:50 by mcs165

    Description
    • Bilaterian animals can make polarized neurons with functionally distinct dendrites and axons. A central aspect of this polarity is different arrangements of microtubules; axons have plus-end-out microtubules, while dendrites contain minus-end-out microtubules, allowing different sets of proteins and organelles to be trafficked to each. In cnidarians, unpolarized neurons with multiple plus-end-out axon-like neurites have been described. To determine whether neuronal polarity might exist in cnidarians, we surveyed neurons in the model sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Microtubule polarity was assessed in mosaic animals expressing EB1-GFP, which binds to growing microtubule plus ends. Neurons were separated into general groups based on morphology. Neurons without any branching had predominantly plus-end-out microtubule polarity. Neurons with at least one branched neurite had significantly more minus-end-out microtubules, and neurons with more than one branch had over fifteen percent minus-end-out microtubules. To identify a population of neurons enriched for branching, we performed a promoter screen. We found that the Shal1 promoter labeled cnidocytes and neurons with branched neurites. In these cells about 30% of microtubules were minus-end-out, which is in the range described for vertebrate dendrites. Finally, we re-examined neurons broadly to identify cells that had both branched and unbranched neurites. When these cells had neurites with different polarities, it was typically the branched one that had mixed microtubules. Thus, in Nematostella, neurite branching is associated with more mixed microtubule polarity and our results also suggest that polarized neurons may exist in cnidarian animals.
    Publication Date
    • 2025
  • Added Creator Michelle Stone

    July 02, 2025 14:53 by mcs165

  • Added Creator Gregory O Kothe

    July 02, 2025 14:53 by mcs165

  • Added Creator Timothy Jegla

    July 02, 2025 14:53 by mcs165

  • Added Creator Melissa Rolls

    July 02, 2025 14:53 by mcs165

  • Added elav branched neurons.zip

    July 02, 2025 15:15 by mcs165

  • Added elav unbranched neurons.zip

    July 02, 2025 15:15 by mcs165

  • Added Shal1 cnidocytes and neurons.zip

    July 02, 2025 15:15 by mcs165

  • Added elav unbranched and branched neuron polarity quantitation.xlsx

    July 02, 2025 15:15 by mcs165

  • Added Shal1 polarity quantitation.xlsx

    July 02, 2025 15:15 by mcs165

  • Updated Description Show Changes

    July 02, 2025 16:03 by mcs165

    Description
    • Bilaterian animals can make polarized neurons with functionally distinct dendrites and axons. A central aspect of this polarity is different arrangements of microtubules; axons have plus-end-out microtubules, while dendrites contain minus-end-out microtubules, allowing different sets of proteins and organelles to be trafficked to each. In cnidarians, unpolarized neurons with multiple plus-end-out axon-like neurites have been described. To determine whether neuronal polarity might exist in cnidarians, we surveyed neurons in the model sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Microtubule polarity was assessed in mosaic animals expressing EB1-GFP, which binds to growing microtubule plus ends. Neurons were separated into general groups based on morphology. Neurons without any branching had predominantly plus-end-out microtubule polarity. Neurons with at least one branched neurite had significantly more minus-end-out microtubules, and neurons with more than one branch had over fifteen percent minus-end-out microtubules. To identify a population of neurons enriched for branching, we performed a promoter screen. We found that the Shal1 promoter labeled cnidocytes and neurons with branched neurites. In these cells about 30% of microtubules were minus-end-out, which is in the range described for vertebrate dendrites. Finally, we re-examined neurons broadly to identify cells that had both branched and unbranched neurites. When these cells had neurites with different polarities, it was typically the branched one that had mixed microtubules. Thus, in Nematostella, neurite branching is associated with more mixed microtubule polarity and our results also suggest that polarized neurons may exist in cnidarian animals.
    • Bilaterian animals can make polarized neurons with functionally distinct dendrites and axons. A central aspect of this polarity is different arrangements of microtubules; axons have plus-end-out microtubules, while dendrites contain minus-end-out microtubules, allowing different sets of proteins and organelles to be trafficked to each. In cnidarians, unpolarized neurons with multiple plus-end-out axon-like neurites have been described. To determine whether neuronal polarity might exist in cnidarians, we surveyed neurons in the model sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Microtubule polarity was assessed in mosaic animals expressing EB1-GFP, which binds to growing microtubule plus ends. Neurons were separated into general groups based on morphology. Neurons without any branching had predominantly plus-end-out microtubule polarity. Neurons with at least one neurite branch had significantly more minus-end-out microtubules, and neurons with more than one branch had over fifteen percent minus-end-out microtubules. To identify a population of neurons enriched for branching, we performed a promoter screen. We found that the Shal1 promoter labeled cnidocytes and neurons with branched neurites. In these cells about 30% of microtubules were minus-end-out, which is in the range described for vertebrate dendrites. Finally, we re-examined neurons broadly to identify cells that had both branched and unbranched neurites. When these cells had neurites with different polarities, it was typically the branched one that had mixed microtubules. Thus, in Nematostella, neurite branching is associated with more mixed microtubule polarity and our results also suggest that polarized neurons may exist in cnidarian animals.
  • Updated Acknowledgments Show Changes

    July 02, 2025 16:04 by mcs165

    Acknowledgments
    • National Institutes of Health GM085115
  • Updated License Show Changes

    July 02, 2025 16:10 by mcs165

    License
    • http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
  • Deleted elav unbranched and branched neuron polarity quantitation.xlsx

    July 03, 2025 16:12 by mcs165

  • Added elav unbranched and branched neuron polarity quantitation.xlsx

    July 03, 2025 16:12 by mcs165

  • Added elav branched neurons overview images.pdf

    July 03, 2025 16:16 by mcs165

  • Deleted elav branched neurons overview images.pdf

    July 03, 2025 16:18 by mcs165

  • Added elav branched neurons overview images.tif

    July 03, 2025 16:22 by mcs165

  • Added elav unbranched neurons overview images.tif

    July 03, 2025 16:22 by mcs165

  • Added Shal1 cnidocytes and neurons overview images.tif

    July 03, 2025 16:22 by mcs165

  • Updated Publication Date Show Changes

    July 03, 2025 16:24 by mcs165

    Publication Date
    • 2025
    • 2025-07-03
  • Added README.rtf

    July 03, 2025 16:28 by mcs165

  • Updated

    July 03, 2025 16:29 by mcs165

  • Published

    July 03, 2025 16:29 by mcs165

  • Updated

    July 03, 2025 22:06 by [unknown user]

Version 2
published

  • Created

    July 16, 2025 14:16 by avs5190

  • Deleted README.rtf

    July 16, 2025 14:16 by avs5190

  • Added Stone_readme_v2.txt

    July 16, 2025 14:16 by avs5190

  • Published

    July 16, 2025 14:16 by avs5190