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Of microtubules and memory: implications for microtubule dynamics in dendrites and spines

Microtubules (MTs) are cytoskeletal polymers composed of repeating subunits of tubulin that are ubiquitously expressed in eukaryotic cells. They undergo a stochastic process of polymerization and depolymerization from their plus ends termed dynamic instability. MT dynamics is an ongoing process in a...

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Autor principal: Dent, Erik W.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The American Society for Cell Biology 2017
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5221613/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28035040
http://dx.doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E15-11-0769
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author Dent, Erik W.
author_facet Dent, Erik W.
author_sort Dent, Erik W.
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description Microtubules (MTs) are cytoskeletal polymers composed of repeating subunits of tubulin that are ubiquitously expressed in eukaryotic cells. They undergo a stochastic process of polymerization and depolymerization from their plus ends termed dynamic instability. MT dynamics is an ongoing process in all cell types and has been the target for the development of several useful anticancer drugs, which compromise rapidly dividing cells. Recent studies also suggest that MT dynamics may be particularly important in neurons, which develop a highly polarized morphology, consisting of a single axon and multiple dendrites that persist throughout adulthood. MTs are especially dynamic in dendrites and have recently been shown to polymerize directly into dendritic spines, the postsynaptic compartment of excitatory neurons in the CNS. These transient polymerization events into dendritic spines have been demonstrated to play important roles in synaptic plasticity in cultured neurons. Recent studies also suggest that MT dynamics in the adult brain function in the essential process of learning and memory and may be compromised in degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. This raises the possibility of targeting MT dynamics in the design of new therapeutic agents.
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spelling pubmed-52216132017-03-16 Of microtubules and memory: implications for microtubule dynamics in dendrites and spines Dent, Erik W. Mol Biol Cell Perspectives Microtubules (MTs) are cytoskeletal polymers composed of repeating subunits of tubulin that are ubiquitously expressed in eukaryotic cells. They undergo a stochastic process of polymerization and depolymerization from their plus ends termed dynamic instability. MT dynamics is an ongoing process in all cell types and has been the target for the development of several useful anticancer drugs, which compromise rapidly dividing cells. Recent studies also suggest that MT dynamics may be particularly important in neurons, which develop a highly polarized morphology, consisting of a single axon and multiple dendrites that persist throughout adulthood. MTs are especially dynamic in dendrites and have recently been shown to polymerize directly into dendritic spines, the postsynaptic compartment of excitatory neurons in the CNS. These transient polymerization events into dendritic spines have been demonstrated to play important roles in synaptic plasticity in cultured neurons. Recent studies also suggest that MT dynamics in the adult brain function in the essential process of learning and memory and may be compromised in degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. This raises the possibility of targeting MT dynamics in the design of new therapeutic agents. The American Society for Cell Biology 2017-01-01 /pmc/articles/PMC5221613/ /pubmed/28035040 http://dx.doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E15-11-0769 Text en © 2017 Dent. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0). “ASCB®,” “The American Society for Cell Biology®,” and “Molecular Biology of the Cell®” are registered trademarks of The American Society for Cell Biology.
spellingShingle Perspectives
Dent, Erik W.
Of microtubules and memory: implications for microtubule dynamics in dendrites and spines
title Of microtubules and memory: implications for microtubule dynamics in dendrites and spines
title_full Of microtubules and memory: implications for microtubule dynamics in dendrites and spines
title_fullStr Of microtubules and memory: implications for microtubule dynamics in dendrites and spines
title_full_unstemmed Of microtubules and memory: implications for microtubule dynamics in dendrites and spines
title_short Of microtubules and memory: implications for microtubule dynamics in dendrites and spines
title_sort of microtubules and memory: implications for microtubule dynamics in dendrites and spines
topic Perspectives
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5221613/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28035040
http://dx.doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E15-11-0769
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