Fray, a Drosophila serine/threonine kinase homologous to mammalian PASK, is required for axonal ensheathment.

Fray is a serine/threonine kinase expressed by the peripheral glia of Drosophila, whose function is required for normal axonal ensheathment. Null fray mutants die early in larval development and have nerves with severe swelling and axonal defasciculation. The phenotype is associated with a failure of the ensheathing glia to correctly wrap peripheral axons. When the fray cDNA is expressed in the ensheathing glia of fray mutants, normal nerve morphology is restored. Fray belongs to a novel family of Ser/Thr kinases, the PF kinases, whose closest relatives are the PAK kinases. Rescue of the Drosophila mutant phenotype with PASK, the rat homolog of Fray, demonstrates a functional homology among these proteins and suggests that the Fray signaling pathway is widely conserved.

Maturational changes in rabbit renal brush border membrane vesicle osmotic water permeability.

We have recently shown that the osmotic water permeability (Pf) of proximal tubules from neonatal rabbits is higher than that of adults (AJP 271:F871-F876, 1996). The developmental change in Pf could be due to differences in one or more of the components in the path for transepithelial water transport. The present study examined developmental changes in water transport characteristics of the proximal tubule apical membrane by determining Pf and aquaporin 1 (AQP1) expression in neonatal (10-14 days old) and adult rabbit renal brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV). AQP1 abundance in the adult BBMV was higher than the neonatal BBMV. At 25 degrees C the Pf of neonatal BBMV was found to be significantly lower than the adult BBMV at osmotic gradients from 50 to 250 mOsm/kg water. The activation energy for osmotic water movement was higher in the neonatal BBMV than the adult BBMV (9.19 +/- 0.37 vs. 5.09 +/- 0.57 kcal . deg-1 . mol-1, P < 0.005). Osmotic water movement in neonatal BBMV was inhibited 17.9 +/- 1.3% by 1 mm HgCl2 compared to 34.3 +/- 3.8% in the adult BBMV (P < 0.005). These data are consistent with a significantly greater fraction of water traversing the apical membrane lipid bilayer in proximal tubules of neonates than adults. The lower Pf of the neonatal BBMV indicates that the apical membrane is not responsible for the higher transepithelial Pf in the neonatal proximal tubule.

Maturational changes in rabbit renal cortical phospholipase A2 activity.

Several studies have demonstrated that the neonatal kidney has a markedly attenuated response to parathyroid hormone (PTH); however, the cause for this blunted response is unknown. PTH stimulated cAMP production by 215 +/- 18% in neonatal proximal tubule suspensions compared to a 35 +/- 7% increase in adult proximal tubules. Thus, neonatal proximal tubules have functioning PTH receptors and a greater adenylate cyclase response than the adult segment. In adult proximal tubules, PTH stimulates phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity and the inhibition of Na,K-ATPase activity by PTH is blocked by inhibitors of PLA2. We examined whether maturational changes in renal cortical activity could play a role in the attenuated response to PTH in the neonatal proximal tubule. Compared to adults, neonates had a lower renal cortical cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2) activity, assessed as the release of 14C-arachidonic acid (AA) from labeled phosphatidyl choline (0.44 +/- 0.10 vs. 0.74 +/- 0.06% 14C-AA released/min/mg protein, P < 0.05) and microsomal PLA2 activity (0.32 +/- 0.03 vs. 1.20 +/- 0.13% 14C-AA released/min/mg protein, P < 0.001). The protein abundance of cPLA2 was not different between the neonatal and adult renal cortex as assessed by immunoblot assay. Thus, the difference in activities must be due to a difference in regulation of cPLA2. Annexin 1 (lipocortin 1) has been shown to inhibit PLA2 activity by binding to phospholipid substrate. Annexin 1 protein abundance was higher in neonatal than in adult renal cortex (P < 0.001). Thus, the lower activity of PLA2 in the neonatal tubules may be due in part to higher expression of annexin 1. PLA2 activation by PTH, -8-bromo-cAMP and PMA was assessed as 3H-AA release from prelabeled suspensions of neonatal and adult proximal tubules. PTH (10(-7) M), 8-bromo-cAMP (10(-4) M) and PMA (5 x 10(-8) M) significantly increased 3H-AA release from adult tubules (P < 0.05) but had no effect on neonatal tubules (P = NS). Thus, PTH, 8-bromo-cAMP and PMA stimulated PLA2 in adult but not neonatal proximal tubules. In conclusion, the maturational changes in renal cortical PLA2 activity may be a factor in the blunted response of neonatal proximal tubules to PTH.

Cellular mechanisms governing synaptic development in Drosophila melanogaster.

The neuromuscular connections of Drosophila are ideally suited for studying synaptic function and development. Hypotheses about cell recognition can be tested in a simple array of pre- and postsynaptic elements. Drosophila muscle fibers are multiply innervated by individually identifiable motoneurons. The neurons express several synaptic cotransmitters, including glutamate, proctolin, and octopamine, and are specialized by their synaptic morphology, neurotransmitters, and connectivity. During larval development the initial motoneuron endings grow extensively over the surface of the muscle fibers, and differentiate synaptic boutons of characteristic morphology. While considerable growth occurs postembryonically, the initial wiring of motoneurons to muscle fibers is accomplished during mid-to-late embryogenesis (stages 15-17). Efferent growth cones sample multiple muscle fibers with rapidly moving filopodia. Upon reaching their target muscle fibers, the growth cones rapidly differentiate into synaptic contacts whose morphology prefigures that of the larval junction. Mismatch experiments show that growth cones recognize specific muscle fibers, and can do so when the surrounding musculature is radically altered. However, when denied their normal targets, motoneurons can establish functional synapses on alternate muscle fibers. Blocking synaptic activity with either injected toxins or ion channel mutants does not derange synaptogenesis, but may influence the number of motor ending processes. The molecular mechanisms governing cellular recognition during synaptogenesis remain to be identified. However, several cell surface glycoproteins known to mediate cellular adhesion events in vitro are expressed by the developing synapses. Furthermore, enhancer detector lines have identified genes with expression restricted to small subsets of muscle fibers and/or motoneurons during the period of synaptogenesis. These observations suggest that in Drosophila a mechanism of target chemoaffinity may be involved in the genesis of stereotypic synaptic wiring.