Pollen tube cells elongate based on actin- dependent targeted secretion at the tip. Rho family small GTPases have been implicated in the regulation of related processes in animal and yeast cells. We have functionally characterized Rac type Rho family proteins that are expressed in growing pollen tubes. Expression of dominant negative Rac inhibited pollen tube elongation, whereas expression of constitutive active Rac induced depolarized growth. Pollen tube Rac was found to accumulate at the tip plasma membrane and to physically associate with a phosphatidylinositol monophosphate kinase (PtdIns P-K) activity. Phosphatidylinositol 4, 5-bisphosphate (PtdIns 4, 5-P2), the product of PtdIns P-Ks, showed a similar intracellular localization as Rac. Expression of the pleckstrin homology (PH)-domain of phospholipase C (PLC)-δ1, which binds specifically to PtdIns 4, 5-P2, inhibited pollen tube elongation. These results indicate that Rac and PtdIns 4, 5-P2 act in a common pathway to control polar pollen tube growth and provide direct evidence for a function of PtdIns 4, 5-P2 compartmentalization in the regulation of this process.

Despite the importance of the mammalian neocortex for complex cognitive processes, we still lack a comprehensive description of its cellular components. To improve the classification of neuronal cell types and the functional characterization of single neurons, we present Patch-seq, a method that combines whole-cell electrophysiological patch-clamp recordings, single-cell RNA-sequencing and morphological characterization. Following electrophysiological characterization, cell contents are aspirated through the patch-clamp pipette and prepared for RNA-sequencing. Using this approach, we generate electrophysiological and molecular profiles of 58 neocortical cells and show that gene expression patterns can be used to infer the morphological and physiological properties such as axonal arborization and action potential amplitude of individual neurons. Our results shed light on the molecular underpinnings of neuronal diversity and suggest that Patch-seq can facilitate the classification of cell types in the nervous system.

Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns-4,5-P2), a key molecule in the phosphoinositide signalling pathway, was thought to be synthesized exclusively by phosphorylation of PtdIns-4-P at the D-5 position of the inositol ring. The enzymes that produce PtdIns-4,5-P2 in vitro fall into two related subfamilies (type I and type II PtdInsP-5-OH kinases, or PIP(5)Ks) based on their enzymatic properties and sequence similarities'. Here we have reinvestigated the substrate specificities of these enzymes. As expected, the type I enzyme phosphorylates PtdIns-4-P at the D-5 position of the inositol ring. Surprisingly, the type II enzyme, which is abundant in some tissues, phosphorylates PtdIns-5-P at the D-4 position, and thus should be considered as a 4-OH kinase, or PIP(4)K. The earlier error in characterizing the activity of the type II enzyme is due to the presence of contaminating PtdIns-5-P in commercial preparations of PtdIns-4-P. Although PtdIns-5-P was previously thought not to exist in vivo, we find evidence for the presence of this lipid in mammalian fibroblasts, establishing a new pathway for PtdIns-4,5-P2 synthesis.

NMDA-type glutamate receptors play a critical role in the activity-dependent development and structural remodeling of dendritic arbors and spines. However, the molecular mechanisms that link NMDA receptor activation to changes in dendritic morphology remain unclear. We report that the Rac1-GEF Tiam1 is present in dendrites and spines and is required for their development. Tiam1 interacts with the NMDA receptor and is phosphorylated in a calcium-dependent manner in response to NMDA receptor stimulation. Blockade of Tiam1 function with RNAi and dominant interfering mutants of Tiam1 suggests that Tiam1 mediates effects of the NMDA receptor on dendritic development by inducing Rac1-dependent actin remodeling and protein synthesis. Taken together, these findings define a molecular mechanism by which NMDA receptor signaling controls the growth and morphology of dendritic arbors and spines.