The role of ESCRT during development and functioning of the nervous system

In the nervous system, ALIX/ESCRT controls the survival of embryonic neural progenitors and later on the outgrowth and pruning of axons and dendrites, all necessary steps to establish a functional brain. In the adult brain, ESCRTs allow the endosomal turn over of synaptic vesicle proteins while stable ESCRT complexes might serve as scaffolds for the postsynaptic parts. The necessity of ESCRT for the harmonious function of the brain has its pathological counterpart, the mutations in CHMP2B of ESCRT-III giving rise to several neurodegenerative diseases.