N-cadherin, spine dynamics, and synaptic function

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Abstract
Dendritic spines are one-half (the postsynaptic half) of most excitatory synapses. Ever since the direct observation over a decade ago that spines can continually change size and shape, spine dynamics has been of great research interest, especially as a mechanism for structural synaptic plasticity. In concert with this ongoing spine dynamics, the stability of the synapse is also needed to allow continued, reliable synaptic communication. Various cell-adhesion molecules help to structurally stabilize a synapse and its proteins. Here, we review the effects of disrupting N-cadherin, a prominent trans-synaptic adhesion molecule, on spine dynamics, as reported in Mysore et al. (2007) . We highlight the novel method adopted therein to reliably detect even subtle changes in fast and slow spine dynamics. We summarize the structural, functional, and molecular consequences of acute N-cadherin disruption, and tie them in, in a working model, with longer-term effects on spines and synapses reported in the literature.