Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31369617›Full record

ArticlePloS one2019

Rac1 and Rac3 GTPases differently influence the morphological maturation of dendritic spines in hippocampal neurons.

Roberta Pennucci, Irene Gucciardi, Ivan de Curtis

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

17 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Neuronal Actin Remodeling and Its Role in Higher Nervous Activity.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
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  10. Sculpting Dendritic Spines during Initiation and Maintenance of Neuropathic Pain.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2020
    Review
  11. The Role of ADF/Cofilin in Synaptic Physiology and Alzheimer's Disease.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2020
    Review
  12. Review
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  14. TRP Channels Regulation of Rho GTPases in Brain Context and Diseases.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2020
    Review
  15. Review
  16. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Roberta PennucciSan Raffaele-Vita-Salute University and San Raffaele Scientific institute, Cell Adhesion Unit, Division of Neuroscience, Milano, Italy.
Irene GucciardiSan Raffaele-Vita-Salute University and San Raffaele Scientific institute, Cell Adhesion Unit, Division of Neuroscience, Milano, Italy.
Ivan de CurtisSan Raffaele-Vita-Salute University and San Raffaele Scientific institute, Cell Adhesion Unit, Division of Neuroscience, Milano, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7651-1515
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The Rac1 and Rac3 GTPases are co-expressed in the developing nervous system, where they are involved in different aspects of neuronal development, including the formation of synapses. The deletion of both Rac genes determines a stronger reduction of dendritic spines in vitro compared to the knockout of either gene, indicating that Rac1 and Rac3 play a synergistic role in the formation of these structures. Here, we have addressed the role of each GTPase in the formation of dendritic spines by overexpressing either Rac1 or Rac3 in wildtype neurons, or by re-expressing either GTPase in double knockout hippocampal cultures. We show that the Rac3 protein is expressed with Rac1 in developing hippocampal neurons. Overexpression of either GTPase in WT neurons increases the density of dendritic spines, suggesting the involvement of both GTPases in their formation. We also found that the re-expression of either Rac1 or Rac3 in double knockout neurons is sufficient to restore spinogenesis. Rac1 is significantly more efficient than Rac3 in restoring the formation of spines. On the other hand the quantitative analysis in neurons overexpressing or re-expressing either GTPase shows that Rac3 induces a more pronounced increase in the size of the spines compared to Rac1. These enlarged spines form morphological synapses identified by the juxtaposition of postsynaptic and presynaptic markers. Thus, while Rac1 appears more efficient in inducing the formation of mature spines, Rac3 is more efficient in promoting their enlargement. Our study highlights specific roles of Rac1 and Rac3, which may be functionally relevant also to synaptic plasticity.

Indexed as

AnimalsDendritic SpinesFluorescent Antibody TechniqueHippocampusMice, Inbred C57BLMice, KnockoutNeuronsNeuropeptidesrac1 GTP-Binding Proteinrac GTP-Binding ProteinsTime-Lapse ImagingNeuropeptidesrac1 GTP-Binding ProteinRac1 protein, mouseRac3 protein, mouserac GTP-Binding Proteins

Identifiers

PMID31369617
PMCPMC6675090
OpenAlexW2966741598

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.