Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39576204›Full record

ArticleDevelopment (Cambridge, England)2024

WNT7A-positive dendritic cytonemes control synaptogenesis in cortical neurons.

Thomas M Piers, Kevin Fang, Seema C Namboori, Corin Liddle, Sally Rogers, Akshay Bhinge, Richard Killick, Steffen Scholpp

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Development (Cambridge, England), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Emerging Roles of Cytoneme-Mediated Signaling in Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
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

8 authors.

Thomas M PiersLiving Systems Institute, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4353-3897
Kevin FangBioimaging Centre, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.
Seema C NambooriLiving Systems Institute, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9324-2548
Corin LiddleBioimaging Centre, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.ORCID 0009-0001-8059-1730
Sally RogersLiving Systems Institute, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4901-4740
Akshay BhingeLiving Systems Institute, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2939-099X
Richard KillickLiving Systems Institute, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8815-3436
Steffen ScholppLiving Systems Institute, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4903-9657

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/S016295/1BRACEBRACE pilot grantMedical Research Council MR/S007970/1University of ExeterWellcomeWellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Synaptogenesis involves the transformation of dendritic filopodial contacts into stable connections with the exact apposition of synaptic components. Signalling triggered by Wnt/β-catenin and calcium has been postulated to aid this process. However, it is unclear how such a signalling process orchestrates synapse formation to organise the spatial arrangement of synapses along dendrites. We show that WNT7A is loaded on dynamic dendritic filopodia during spine formation in human cortical neurons. WNT7A is present at the tips of the filopodia and the contact sites with dendrites of neighbouring neurons, triggering spatially restricted localisation of the Wnt co-receptor LRP6. Here, we demonstrate that WNT7A at filopodia tips leads to the induction of calcium transients, the clustering of pre- and postsynaptic proteins, and the subsequent transformation into mature spines. Although soluble WNT7A protein can also support synaptogenesis, it fails to provide this degree of spatial information for spine formation and calcium transients, and synaptic markers are induced ectopically along the dendrites. Our data suggest that dendritic filopodia are WNT7A-bearing cytonemes required for focal calcium signalling and initiation of synapse formation, and provide an elegant mechanism for orchestrating the positioning of synapses along dendrites.

Indexed as

Cerebral CortexDendritesNeuronsPseudopodiaSynapsesWnt ProteinsCalciumCalcium SignalingCells, CulturedDendritic SpinesHumansLow Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-6NeurogenesisCalciumLow Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-6WNT7A protein, humanWnt ProteinsIPSC-derived human cortical neuronsLattice structured illumination microscopySuper-resolution imagingSynapse formationWNT7A cytonemes

Identifiers

PMID39576204
PMCPMC11658684

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.