Structure and function of subcortical periodic cytoskeleton throughout the nervous system

Abstract

Cytoskeleton plays an essential role in many functions in different cells and has been involved in the pathogenesis of many neural diseases. With the development of super-resolution fluorescence imaging technologies, which combine the molecular specificity and simple sample preparation of fluorescence microscopy and provide a spatial resolution comparable to that of electron microscopy, numerous new features have been revealed in the cytoskeletal organization of the subcortical cytoskeleton. A novel periodic lattice cytoskeleton is prevalent in different cell types throughout the nervous system. Here, we review the current studies of the molecular distribution, developmental mechanisms, and functional properties of the periodic cytoskeleton structure.

Keywords

• Cytoskeleton
• Super-resolution microscopy
• Nervous system
• Spectrin
• Actin