title: Many faces of drebrin: from building dendritic spines and stabilizing gap junctions to shaping neurite-like cell processes.
abstract: In this review we consider the multiple functions of developmentally regulated brain protein (drebrin), an actin-binding protein, in the formation of cellular polarity in different cell types. Drebrin has a well-established role in the morphogenesis, patterning and maintenance of dendritic spines in neurons. We have recently shown that drebrin also stabilizes Connexin-43 containing gap junctions at the plasma membrane. The latest literature and our own data suggest that drebrin may be broadly involved in shaping cell processes and in the formation of stabilized plasma membrane domains, an effect that is likely to be of crucial significance for formation of cell polarity in both neuronal and non-neuronal types.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK. irina.majoul@rhul.ac.uk
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Majoul
authors.forename: Tomoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirao
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sekino
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Duden
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D016764:Cell Polarity / Q000502:physiology*; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000378:metabolism; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018031:Connexin 43; D009479:Neuropeptides; C053386:drebrins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins