SEPT7 IN DENDRITE BRANCHING AND SPINE
GENESIS
Dendritic arborisation and
spines constitute the main receptive section of nerve cell, with a number of
important roles in neurotransmission, including information processing. Their
extension or restriction is critical in many functions, but the mechanisms that
govern development and maintenance of such structures are only now beginning to
be understood. Two independent groups have investigated septins, yeast proteins
critical for membrane compartmentalization, and found a key role for the
GTP-binding cytoskeletal protein septin 7 (SEPT7) in dendrite branching and
spine morphogenesis (Xie Y., et al. The GTP-binding protein septin 7
is critical for dendrite branching and dendritic-spine morphology. Curr. Biol. 17, 1746-1751, 2007;
Tada T., et al. Role of septin cytoskeleton in spine morphogenesis and
dendrite development in neurons. Curr. Biol. 17, 1752-1758, 2007).
Further work will be
required to verify these findings in vivo.