Mechanical coupling between transsynaptic N-cadherin adhesions and actin flow stabilizes dendritic spines.

ABSTRACT: The morphology of neuronal dendritic spines is a critical indicator of synaptic function. It is regulated by several factors, including the intracellular actin/myosin cytoskeleton and transcellular N-cadherin adhesions. To examine the mechanical relationship between these molecular components, we performed quantitative live-imaging experiments in primary hippocampal neurons. We found that actin turnover and structural motility were lower in dendritic spines than in immature filopodia and increased upon expression of a nonadhesive N-cadherin mutant, resulting in an inverse relationship between spine motility and actin enrichment. Furthermore, the pharmacological stimulation of myosin II induced the rearward motion of actin structures in spines, showing that myosin II exerts tension on the a

SUBMITTER: Chazeau A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4342023 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature