Laura D'Andrea, Matteo Audano, Silvia Pedretti, Silvia Pelucchi, Ramona Stringhi, Gabriele Imperato, Giulia De Cesare, Clara Cambria, Marine H Laporte, Nicola Zamboni, Flavia Antonucci, Monica Di Luca, Nico Mitro, Elena Marcello
Neuronal maturation is the phase during which neurons acquire their final characteristics in terms of morphology, electrical activity, and metabolism. However, little is known about the metabolic pathways governing neuronal maturation. Here, we investigate the contribution of the main metabolic pathways, namely glucose, glutamine, and fatty acid oxidation, during the maturation of primary rat hippocampal neurons. Blunting glucose oxidation through the genetic and chemical inhibition of the mitochondrial pyruvate transporter reveals that this protein is critical for the production of glutamate, which is required for neuronal arborization, proper dendritic elongation, and spine formation...
January 19, 2024: EMBO Reports