Fasciculation and elongation protein zeta-1 (FEZ1) participates in the polarization of hippocampal neuron by controlling the mitochondrial motility

The fasciculation and elongation protein zeta-1 (FEZ1), a mammalian orthologue of Caenorhabditis elegans UNC-76 protein, is a 45-kDa protein with four coiled-coiled domains and efficiently promotes the neurite elongation in the rat phaeochromocytoma PC12 cells. UNC-76 proteins of C. elegans and Drosophila have been genetically demonstrated to be involved in the axonal guidance. We here show that FEZ1 RNA interference (RNAi) represses the formation of axon in rat embryo hippocampal neurons. An anterograde mitochondrial movement is also retarded in neurites of the RNAi-treated hippocampal neurons. Moreover, the size of mitochondria is considerably elongated by the RNAi treatment. The transport of mitochondria from soma to axon or dendrites is essential for the neuronal differentiation. Therefore, our results strongly suggest that FEZ1 participates in the establishment of neuronal polarity by controlling the mitochondrial motility along axon.