title: Microtubules in dendritic spine development.
abstract: It is generally believed that only the actin cytoskeleton resides in dendritic spines and controls spine morphology and plasticity. Here, we report that microtubules (MTs) are present in spines and that shRNA knockdown of the MT plus-end-binding protein EB3 significantly reduces spine formation. Furthermore, stabilization and inhibition of MTs by low doses of taxol and nocodazole enhance and impair spine formation elicited by BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), respectively. Therefore, MTs play an important role in the control and regulation of dendritic spine development and plasticity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Jiaping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Bonnie L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Firestein
authors.forename: James Q
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015739:Nocodazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000494:pharmacology; D034622:RNA Interference; D051381:Rats; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D050257:Tubulin Modulators / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C522423:EB3 protein, mouse; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D050257:Tubulin Modulators; D017239:Paclitaxel; D015739:Nocodazole