Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald, Friedrich Loeffler Strasse 23c, 17487 Greifswald, Germany.
Cell Tissue Res. 2010 Dec;342(3):317-23. doi: 10.1007/s00441-010-1070-9. Epub 2010 Nov 16.
Abnormalities in dendritic spine morphologies are often associated with mental retardation. Since dendritic spines are thought to represent a morphological correlate of neuronal plasticity, altered spine morphologies may underlie or contribute to cognitive deficits seen in mental retardation. Signaling cascades that are important for cytoskeletal regulation may have an impact upon spine morphologies. The Rho GTPase signaling pathway has been shown to be involved in the regulation of the cytoskeleton and to play fundamental roles in the structural plasticity of dendritic spines. Moreover, alterations in the Rho GTPase signaling pathway have been shown to contribute to mental retardation. Recently, different mental retardation-associated genes have been identified that encode modulators of the Rho GTPases. Disturbances in these genes can lead to mental retardation and-on the morphological level-to alterations in dendritic spines. Thus, getting more insight into the Rho GTPase signaling pathways, and the molecules involved, would not only help in understanding the basic mechanisms by which the morphologies of dendritic spines are modulated but may also allow the development of therapeutic strategies to counteract some aspects of mental retardation.
树突棘形态的异常常与智力迟钝有关。由于树突棘被认为是神经元可塑性的形态学相关物，因此形态改变可能是智力迟钝中认知缺陷的基础或促成因素。对于细胞骨架调节很重要的信号级联反应可能会对棘形态产生影响。Rho GTPase 信号通路已被证明参与细胞骨架的调节，并在树突棘的结构可塑性中发挥基本作用。此外，Rho GTPase 信号通路的改变已被证明与智力迟钝有关。最近，已经确定了不同的智力迟钝相关基因，这些基因编码 Rho GTPases 的调节剂。这些基因的紊乱会导致智力迟钝，并且在形态学水平上导致树突棘的改变。因此，更深入地了解 Rho GTPase 信号通路以及相关分子不仅有助于理解调节树突棘形态的基本机制，而且还可能为开发治疗策略以抵消智力迟钝的某些方面提供帮助。
