Vimentin-mediated cellular uptake of C3 exoenzyme

来自肉毒梭菌的C3 bot转移酶及其覆盖氨基酸154-182的肽诱导轴突和树突生长和分支，在培养的原代神经元细胞以及神经元损伤动物模型中证实了其作用。波形蛋白，一种中间丝蛋白，似乎作为C3 bot的膜受体起作用。除了波形蛋白之外，另外的膜表面分子（碳水化合物、脂质）可能与C3 bot结合和内化相关。使用波形蛋白敲除（小鼠）模型，我们证实了波形蛋白对C3 bot介导的轴突生长的作用。我们现在的目标是确定和表征额外的细胞表面和细胞内受体相关的C3 bot神经元的影响。此外，我们将研究波形蛋白的分泌及其在神经元再生中的作用。

C3bot transferase from Clostridium botulinum and the peptide thereof covering amino acids 154-182 induce axonal and dendritic growth and branching, effects verified on primary neuronal cells in culture as well as in a neuronal lesion animal models. Vimentin, an intermediate filament protein appears to work as the membrane receptor for C3bot. Besides vimentin additional membrane surface molecules (carbohydrates, lipids) may be relevant for C3bot binding and internalization. Using a vimentin knock out (mice) model we confirmed the role of vimentin for C3bot-mediated axonal growth. We now aim to identify and characterize additional cell surface and intracellular receptors relevant for neuronal effects of C3bot. Additionally, we will study the poorly characterized secretion of vimentin and its role in neuronal regeneration.