[The cytoskeleton of nerve cells during their differentiation]

Ultrastructural and cytochemical characteristics of cytoskeletal elements of the cell (microtubules, microfilaments and neurofilaments), their state and proportion in a mature neuron and at definite stages of its differentiation are analyzed. Structural and functional properties of microtubule-associated proteins are described with their distribution in different parts of the neuron and quantitative changes in the course of differentiation. Data from literature concerning functional significance of cytoskeletal elements of the neuron, their connections with electrically excitable surface membrane and participation of the cytoskeleton in pathological states of the nervous system are discussed.