Glial-Specific Functions of Microcephaly Protein WDR62 and Interaction with the Mitotic Kinase AURKA Are Essential for Drosophila Brain Growth

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Lim, NR; Shohayeb, B; Zaytseva, O; Mitchell, N; Millard, SS; Ng, DCH; Quinn, LMDate
2017-07-11Source Title
Stem Cell ReportsPublisher
CELL PRESSAffiliation
Anatomy and NeuroscienceBiochemistry and Molecular Biology
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Lim, N. R., Shohayeb, B., Zaytseva, O., Mitchell, N., Millard, S. S., Ng, D. C. H. & Quinn, L. M. (2017). Glial-Specific Functions of Microcephaly Protein WDR62 and Interaction with the Mitotic Kinase AURKA Are Essential for Drosophila Brain Growth. STEM CELL REPORTS, 9 (1), pp.32-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2017.05.015.Access Status
Open AccessAbstract
The second most commonly mutated gene in primary microcephaly (MCPH) patients is wd40-repeat protein 62 (wdr62), but the relative contribution of WDR62 function to the growth of major brain lineages is unknown. Here, we use Drosophila models to dissect lineage-specific WDR62 function(s). Interestingly, although neural stem cell (neuroblast)-specific depletion of WDR62 significantly decreased neuroblast number, brain size was unchanged. In contrast, glial lineage-specific WDR62 depletion significantly decreased brain volume. Moreover, loss of function in glia not only decreased the glial population but also non-autonomously caused neuroblast loss. We further demonstrated that WDR62 controls brain growth through lineage-specific interactions with master mitotic signaling kinase, AURKA. Depletion of AURKA in neuroblasts drives brain overgrowth, which was suppressed by WDR62 co-depletion. In contrast, glial-specific depletion of AURKA significantly decreased brain volume, which was further decreased by WDR62 co-depletion. Thus, dissecting relative contributions of MCPH factors to individual neural lineages will be critical for understanding complex diseases such as microcephaly.
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