Abstract
A membrane barrier important for assembly of the nodes of Ranvier is found at the paranodal junction. This junction is comprised of axonal and glial adhesion molecules linked to the axonal actin–spectrin membrane cytoskeleton through specific adaptors. In this issue, Zhang et al. (2013. J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201308116) show that axonal βII spectrin maintains the diffusion barrier at the paranodal junction. Thus, βII spectrin serves to compartmentalize the membrane of myelinated axons at specific locations that are determined either intrinsically (i.e., at the axonal initial segment), or by axoglial contacts (i.e., at the paranodal junction).
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.