OSCR

NDR kinase SAX-1 controls dendrite branch-specific elimination during neuronal remodeling in C. elegans.

Overview

Authors: Paola V Figueroa-Delgado1, Shaul Yogev1,2
ORCID iDs: Paola V Figueroa-Delgado, Shaul Yogev
  1. Department of Cell Biology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT USA
  2. Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT USA
Institutions: Yale University (United States)
Journal: The EMBO journal, volume 45, issue 15, pages 5267-5291
Dates: received 22 August 2025; accepted 11 June 2026; published online 27 June 2026; in print August 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY
Identifiers: DOI 10.1038/s44318-026-00841-w · PMID 42365174 · PMCID PMC13434639 · OpenAlex W7166312608
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Status: data only
Categories: C. elegans (organism), cellular / molecular (subfield)
Methods: Spectral & time-frequency, Statistics, Evoked potentials
Keywords: Development, Membranes & Trafficking, Neuroscience
MeSH: Caenorhabditis elegans*, Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins*, Dendrites*, Neuronal Plasticity*, Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases*, Sensory Receptor Cells*, Animals, Neurodevelopment (* major topic)
Topic: Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms (Aging, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology), according to OpenAlex
Funding: NIH (F31-NS122294, R35GM133573); NIGMS NIH HHS (R35 GM133573, R35GM133573); NIH HHS (R35GM133573, S10 OD030363, F31-NS122294, P40 OD010440); Yale Annie Le Fellowship (GE016776); NINDS NIH HHS (F31 NS122294, F31-NS122294)
Citations: not cited yet (Europe PMC); 95 references in the paper

Abstract

Neuronal remodeling is crucial for proper nervous system development and function. Despite significant advances, the underlying mechanisms that govern this process remain poorly understood. Here, we adapted C. elegans IL2 sensory neurons as a model system to study developmental and organismal stress-associated dendrite remodeling. Upon entering developmental diapause, IL2 dendrites grow a complex dendritic arbor, which is later pruned when reproductive development resumes. We identified unexpected specificity in the pruning process, with distinct genetic requirements to direct branch-specific elimination of secondary, tertiary, and quaternary branches. The serine/threonine kinase SAX-1/NDR promotes elimination of secondary and tertiary, but not quaternary, dendrites. SAX-1 functions with its conserved interactors SAX-2/Furry and MOB-2 in the removal of both dendritic branches. The guanine-nucleotide exchange factor RABI-1/Rabin8 and the small GTPase RAB-11.2 mediate the elimination of secondary branches with SAX-1, but their effect on tertiary branches is minimal. Consistent with the known roles of RABI-1 and RAB-11.2 in regulating membrane dynamics, we find that SAX-1 promotes endocytosis during remodeling. Together, our findings reveal distinct mechanisms for dendrite branch-specific elimination during neuronal remodeling.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Code

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Data

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Data availability

Raw data used for this study are available from the lead contact upon request.

The source data of this paper are collected in the following database record: biostudies:S-SCDT-10_1038-S44318-026-00841-w (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/sourcedata/studies/S-SCDT-10_1038-S44318-026-00841-w).

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Versions

The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.

Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 2 authors, 3 keywords, 8 MeSH terms, 5 funders, 93 references.

Cite

This paper

Figueroa-Delgado, P. V., & Yogev, S. (2026). NDR kinase SAX-1 controls dendrite branch-specific elimination during neuronal remodeling in C. elegans. The EMBO journal, 45(15), 5267-5291. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44318-026-00841-w

BibTeX

@article{figueroadelgado2026ndr,
author = {Figueroa-Delgado, Paola V and Yogev, Shaul},
title = {{NDR kinase SAX-1 controls dendrite branch-specific elimination during neuronal remodeling in C. elegans}},
journal = {The EMBO journal},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
volume = {45},
number = {15},
pages = {5267--5291},
publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
issn = {0261-4189},
doi = {10.1038/s44318-026-00841-w},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s44318-026-00841-w},
pmid = {42365174},
pmcid = {PMC13434639}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Figueroa-Delgado, Paola V
AU - Yogev, Shaul
TI - NDR kinase SAX-1 controls dendrite branch-specific elimination during neuronal remodeling in C. elegans
T2 - The EMBO journal
J2 - EMBO J
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/27
VL - 45
IS - 15
SP - 5267
EP - 5291
SN - 0261-4189
PB - Nature Publishing Group
DO - 10.1038/s44318-026-00841-w
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s44318-026-00841-w
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

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