p120-catenin subfamily members have distinct as well as shared effects on dendrite morphology during neuron development in vitro.

Dendritic arborization is essential for proper neuronal connectivity and function. Conversely, abnormal dendrite morphology is associated with several neurological pathologies like Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Among major intrinsic mechanisms that determine the extent of the dendritic arbor is cytoskeletal remodeling. Here, we characterize and compare the impact of the four proteins involved in cytoskeletal remodeling-vertebrate members of the p120-catenin subfamily-on neuronal dendrite morphology. In relation to each of their own distributions, we find that p120-catenin and delta-catenin are expressed at relatively higher proportions in growth cones compared to ARVCF-catenin and p0071-catenin; ARVCF-catenin is expressed at relatively high proportions in the nucleus; and all catenins are expressed in dendritic processes and the soma. Through altering the expression of each p120-subfamily catenin in neurons, we find that exogenous expression of either p120-catenin or delta-catenin correlates with increased dendritic length and branching, whereas their respective depletion decreases dendritic length and branching. While increasing ARVCF-catenin expression also increases dendritic length and branching, decreasing expression has no grossly observable morphological effect. Finally, increasing p0071-catenin expression increases dendritic branching, but not length, while decreasing expression decreases dendritic length and branching. These distinct localization patterns and morphological effects during neuron development suggest that these catenins have both shared and distinct roles in the context of dendrite morphogenesis.

Delta-Catenin as a Modulator of Rho GTPases in Neurons.

Small Rho GTPases are molecular switches that are involved in multiple processes including regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. These GTPases are activated (turned on) and inactivated (turned off) through various upstream effector molecules to carry out many cellular functions. One such upstream modulator of small Rho GTPase activity is delta-catenin, which is a protein in the p120-catenin subfamily that is enriched in the central nervous system. Delta-catenin affects small GTPase activity to assist in the developmental formation of dendrites and dendritic spines and to maintain them once they mature. As the dendritic arbor and spine density are crucial for synapse formation and plasticity, delta-catenin's ability to modulate small Rho GTPases is necessary for proper learning and memory. Accordingly, the misregulation of delta-catenin and small Rho GTPases has been implicated in several neurological and non-neurological pathologies. While links between delta-catenin and small Rho GTPases have yet to be studied in many contexts, known associations include some cancers, Alzheimer's disease (AD), Cri-du-chat syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Drawing from established studies and recent discoveries, this review explores how delta-catenin modulates small Rho GTPase activity. Future studies will likely elucidate how PDZ proteins that bind delta-catenin further influence small Rho GTPases, how delta-catenin may affect small GTPase activity at adherens junctions when bound to N-cadherin, mechanisms behind delta-catenin's ability to modulate Rac1 and Cdc42, and delta-catenin's ability to modulate small Rho GTPases in the context of diseases, such as cancer and AD.

Fabrication of Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional High-Resolution Binder-Free Graphene Circuits Using a Microfluidic Approach for Sensor Applications.

In this study, a simple microfluidic method, which can be universally applied to different rigid or flexible substrates, was developed to fabricate high-resolution, conductive, two-dimensional and three-dimensional microstructured graphene-based electronic circuits. The method involves controlled and selective filling of microchannels on substrate surfaces with a conductive binder-free graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) solution. The ethanol-thermal reaction of GNP solution at low temperatures (∼75 °C) prior to microchannel filling (preheating) can further reduce the GNP andprovide a homogeneous GNP solution, which in turn enhances conductivity, reduces sheet resistance (∼0.05 kΩ sq-1), enables room-temperature fabrication, and eliminates harsh postprocessing, which makes this fabrication technique compatible with degradable substrates. This method can also be used in combination with 3D printing to fabricate 3D circuits. The feature sizes of the graphene patterns can range from a few micrometers (down to ∼15 µm in width and ∼5 µm in depth) to a few millimeters and use very small amounts of GNP solution (∼2.5 mg of graphene to obtain ∼0.1 kΩ sq-1 of sheet resistance for 1 cm2). This microfluidic approach can also be implemented using other conductive liquids, such as conductive graphene-silver solutions. This technology has the potential to pave the way for low-cost, disposable, and biodegradable circuits for a range of electronic applications including near-field communication antennas and pressure or strain sensors.

Fabrication of High-resolution Graphene-based Flexible Electronics via Polymer Casting.

In this study, a novel method based on the transfer of graphene patterns from a rigid or flexible substrate onto a polymeric film surface via solvent casting was developed. The method involves the creation of predetermined graphene patterns on the substrate, casting a polymer solution, and directly transferring the graphene patterns from the substrate to the surface of the target polymer film via a peeling-off method. The feature sizes of the graphene patterns on the final film can vary from a few micrometers (as low as 5 µm) to few millimeters range. This process, applied at room temperature, eliminates the need for harsh post-processing techniques and enables creation of conductive graphene circuits (sheet resistance: ~0.2 kΩ/sq) with high stability (stable after 100 bending and 24 h washing cycles) on various polymeric flexible substrates. Moreover, this approach allows precise control of the substrate properties such as composition, biodegradability, 3D microstructure, pore size, porosity and mechanical properties using different film formation techniques. This approach can also be used to fabricate flexible biointerfaces to control stem cell behavior, such as differentiation and alignment. Overall, this promising approach provides a facile and low-cost method for the fabrication of flexible and stretchable electronic circuits.