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Comment
. 2010 May 3;189(3):397-8.
doi: 10.1083/jcb.201004022.

N-cadherin: stabilizing synapses

Jyothi Arikkath  1
Affiliations
Comment

N-cadherin: stabilizing synapses

Jyothi Arikkath. J Cell Biol. .

Abstract

Spines are sites of excitatory synapse formation in central neurons. Alterations in spine structure and function are widely believed to actively contribute to the cellular mechanisms of learning and memory. In this issue, Mendez et al. (2010. J. Cell Biol. doi:10.1083/jcb.201003007) demonstrate a pivotal role for the cell adhesion molecule N-cadherin in activity-mediated spine stabilization, offering a new mechanism for how spine dynamics and stability are regulated by activity in central neurons.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
N-cadherin promotes dendritic spine stability. (A) Spines are dynamic and undergo formation and elimination, leading to spine turnover. These spines have relatively small postsynaptic densities and PSD-95 puncta. (B) Synaptic activity promotes the localization of N-cadherin to activated synapses. (C) Activated synapses expressing N-cadherin are stabilized, have large postsynaptic densities, and express large PSD-95 puncta.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

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