Cytoskeletal organization: Actin

Abstract

The regulation of cytoskeletal organization is key to the establishment of proper neuronal morphology. The neuronal cytoskeleton comprises three different elements: microtubules, intermediate filaments, and actin filaments. Actin cytoskeleton dynamics play a key role in the establishment and maintenance of both dendritic arborization and spines, as well as in spine shape changes associated with synaptic plasticity. Not surprisingly, abnormalities in dendritic arborization and dendritic spine morphology arising from the faulty regulation of the cytoskeleton have been linked to several neurological diseases. In this review, we describe the basic mechanisms regulating the actin cytoskeleton in spinogenesis and discuss examples of mutations in actin regulators associated with neurological disorders.