Mechanosensitive membrane traffic and an optimal strategy for volume and surface area regulation in CNS neurons

Abstract

Extrapolating frm a body of work on isolated neurons, a model is suggested for how central nervous system (CNS) neurons in situ may handle local swelling and shrinking perturbations so as to interfere minimally with the primary role of neurons, synaptic information processing. The strategy used for osmoregulatory membrane adjustments may first come into play during ontogeny, when it could provide membrane tension sensitive membrane trafficking in arborized neurons subjected to morphogenetic forces.