An EMBO workshop on Emerging Concepts of the Neuronal Cytoskeleton : A unique venue to discuss recent advances in cellular and molecular aspects of cytoskeleton function in nerve cells

Last year around one hundred researchers from Europe, Asia and the Americas met on the pristine shores of Llanquihue Lake in Puerto Varas, Chile, with the snow-capped peak of the Osorno volcano in the background to discuss the latest advances in the neuronal cytoskeleton field. The venue was an EMBO Workshop on Emerging Concepts of the Neuronal Cytoskeleton, the third in an international biennial workshop series, first held in 2011, that is now arguably the premier gathering for neuronal cytoskeleton researchers in the world. The Workshop brought together senior and junior investigators, post-docs and students from more than 12 different countries in a friendly and collegial atmosphere to explore the profound importance of the cytoskeleton for nerve cell development and function in both health and disease. The meeting was opened with a Keynote Lecture by Richard Vallee of Columbia University on the role of microtubule motors in the early phases of brain development, highlighting the critical importance of cytoskeletal dynamics for fundamental developmental events such as neurogenesis and neuronal migration. Over the next three days, the meeting was organized into seven vibrant sessions exploring novel and largely unpublished findings on Neuronal Polarity, Transport and Trafficking, the Cytoskeleton in Disease and Injury, the Cytoskeleton in Synapses and Spines, RNA Trafficking and Protein Synthesis, Actin Dynamics, and Microtubules and Motors. Two poster sessions allowed graduate students and early career researchers to share their latest results in a highly interactive and motivating environment. This Special Issue of Cytoskeleton, divided into two parts, features short and timely review articles by some of the speakers at the 2015 workshop, highlighting some of the recent advances, unsolved questions and emerging concepts in this field. In Part I, in Leita et al (2016), Monica Sousa and colleagues review the exciting discovery of periodically arranged actin ring structures beneath the plasma membrane of axons and dendrites and discuss the contribution of actin-binding proteins as key regulators of these structures. Actin filaments are also essential to support dendritic spines and synaptic plasticity. In Hlushchenko et al (2016), Pirta Hotulainen and colleagues review the dynamic changes in actin organization during spine maturation and in long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD), emphasizing the regulatory roles of neurotransmitter receptors, actin regulators and calcium signaling. The Workshop also featured numerous presentations on microtubule dynamics and functions in neurons. In Baas et al (2016), Peter Baas and colleagues present a conceptual framework for understanding microtubule stability and discuss how microtubules might contain contiguous domains that differ in their stability, leading to differential transient interactions with microtubule-interacting proteins that modulate the organization and function of these polymers. In Cammarata et al (2016), Laura Anne Lowery and colleagues address the dynamic interaction between actin filaments and microtubules during axonal guidance and discuss the role of 1TIP proteins in coordinating this interaction. In Bamburg and Bernstein (2016), James Bamburg and colleague review recent advances in our understanding of the mechanism and importance of cofilin-actin rod formation in Alzheimer’s disease; and how these intriguing cytoskeletal assemblies may be instrumental to triggering synaptic loss. In Villarroel-Campos et al (2016), Christian GonzalezBillault and colleagues discuss the cross-talk and connections between membrane trafficking and cytoskeleton dynamics, reviewing the multiple roles of Rab GTPases in neuronal differentiation, development and axonal outgrowth. Finally, in Feng and Arnold (2016), Don Arnold and colleague round out this collection with a review of technical approaches for the study of protein trafficking in neurons. Part II of this Special Issue starts with a current update of the tubulin code contributed by Soumyananda et al (2016), in which Judy Liu, Carsten Janke and colleagues review the impact of tubulin isotypes and post-translational modifications on microtubule function, including a discussion of the large number of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders now known to be caused by tubulin mutations. Several presentations during the Workshop focused on the importance of protein synthesis in somatic, axonal and dendritic compartments of neurons, both in health and disease. In Bellato and Hajj (2016), Glaucia Hajj and colleague discuss the role of eIF2a phosphorylation in nervous system development, memory consolidation and stress responses in normal physiology and pathology. In Dantas Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). FOREWORD Cytoskeleton, September 2016 73:422–423 (doi: 10.1002/cm.21320)