MARCKS for maintenance in dendritic spines.
Synapses in the brain must maintain a balance between learning-related plasticity and the stability necessary for reliable function. In this issue of Neuron, Calabrese and Halpain describe cell-transfection experiments implicating MARCKS, a protein that binds to both the cell surface and actin cytoskeleton, in the maintenance of dendritic spines.
Matus
Andrew
A
Friedrich Miescher Institute, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.
D000818:Animals; D048429:Cell Size; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000502:physiology*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D000076250:Myristoylated Alanine-Rich C Kinase Substrate; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology
D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D000076250:Myristoylated Alanine-Rich C Kinase Substrate; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins