Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, 3015GE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Trends Cell Biol. 2009 Dec;19(12):669-76. doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2009.08.006. Epub 2009 Oct 2.
Microtubules have been regarded as essential structures for stable neuronal morphology but new studies are highlighting their role in dynamic neuronal processes. Recent work demonstrates that the microtubule cytoskeleton has an active role during different phases of neuronal polarization - microtubules and their stability determine axon formation, they maintain the identity of axons and they regulate the dynamics of dendritic spines, the major sites of excitatory synaptic input. Although microtubules fulfill distinct cellular functions at different developmental stages, the underlying molecular mechanisms are remarkably similar. Reccurring themes are that microtubules direct specific membrane traffic and affect actin dynamics to locally organize axon growth and spine dynamics. We review the novel role of microtubules during neuronal development and discuss models for microtubule-dependent signaling in neuronal plasticity.
微管被认为是稳定神经元形态的基本结构，但新的研究强调了它们在动态神经元过程中的作用。最近的工作表明，微管细胞骨架在神经元极化的不同阶段发挥着积极的作用——微管及其稳定性决定了轴突的形成，它们维持着轴突的身份，并调节树突棘的动态，树突棘是兴奋性突触输入的主要部位。尽管微管在不同的发育阶段发挥着不同的细胞功能，但潜在的分子机制却惊人地相似。反复出现的主题是，微管指导特定的膜运输，并影响肌动蛋白动力学，以局部组织轴突生长和棘突动力学。我们综述了微管在神经元发育过程中的新作用，并讨论了微管依赖的神经元可塑性信号模型。
