Mannava, Anirudh Gautam2020-08-252020-08-252020-03https://hdl.handle.net/11299/215012University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. March 2020. Major: Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics. Advisor: Melissa Gardner. 1 computer file (PDF); 26 pages + 3 supplementary files.Neuronal axons terminate as synaptic boutons that form stable yet plastic connections with their targets. Synaptic bouton development relies on an underlying network of both long-lived and dynamic microtubules that provide structural stability for the boutons while also allowing for their growth and remodeling. However, a molecular-scale mechanism that explains how neurons appropriately balance these two microtubule populations remains a mystery. We hypothesized that α-tubulin acetyltransferase (αTAT), which both stabilizes long lived microtubules against mechanical stress via acetylation and has been implicated in promoting microtubule dynamics, could play a role in this process. Biophysical reconstitution experiments revealed that non-enzymatic αTAT1 activity destabilizes dynamic microtubules but does not substantially impact the stability of long-lived microtubules. We propose that the specific suppression of dynamic microtubules by non-enzymatic αTAT activity regulates the remodeling of microtubule networks during synaptic bouton development.enmicrotubule dynamicsSynaptic boutonα-tubulin acetyltransferaseThesis or Dissertation