Par polarity complex, consisting of Par3, Par6, and aPKC, plays a conserved role in the establishment and maintenance of polarization in diverse cellular contexts. Recent reports suggest that Dishevelled (Dvl), a cytoplasmic mediator of Wnt signalling, interacts with atypical protein kinase C and regulates its activity during neuronal differentiation and directed cell migration. Here we show that Nup358 (also called RanBP2), a nucleoporin previously implicated in polarity during directed cell migration, interacts with Dishevelled and aPKC through its N-terminal region (BPN) and regulates axon-dendrite differentiation of cultured hippocampal neurons. Depletion of endogenous Nup358 leads to generation of multiple axons, whereas overexpression of BPN abrogates the process of axon formation. Moreover, siRNA-mediated knockdown of Dvl or inhibition of aPKC by a pseudosubstrate inhibitor significantly reverses the multiple axon phenotype produced by Nup358 depletion. Collectively, these data suggest that Nup358 plays an important role in regulating neuronal polarization upstream to Dvl and aPKC.
Keywords: Dishevelled; Neuron; Nucleoporin; Nup358; Polarity; aPKC.