Control of Dendritic Spine Morphological and Functional Plasticity by Small GTPases

Figure 2

Dendritic spines, small GTPases, and the cytoskeleton. (a) Example of a cortical neuron immunostained with phalloidin, a marker of endogenous F-actin. Immunofluorescence reveals an enrichment of actin in dendrites and dendritic spines. (b) Schematic drawing of how extracellular signals can act via specific receptors and act via small GTPases to regulate actin dynamics and/or receptor trafficking. The dynamic actin cytoskeleton confers much of the structure of the dendritic spines, and alterations in synaptic expression of glutamate receptors (e.g., AMPA receptors) are thought to play a major role in modulating synaptic function.

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