Role of the golgi apparatus during axon formation

During recent years, a large body of evidence has accumulated regarding cellular events and potential mechanisms underlying the development of specialized cellular projections, namely axons and dendrites in mammalian neurons. Most of these studies have focused on the regulation of cytoskeletal organization and function during different stages of neuronal polarization. Much less effort has been invested in analyzing how cytoskeletal assembly and dynamics are coordinately coupled with membrane addition at sites of active growth or with membrane formation and/or exit from the Golgi complex. In this chapter, we shall review current evidence concerning the participation of the Golgi apparatus in axon specification, one of the earliest events in neuronal polarization.