Septins in animal tissue architecture: more than just peanuts

Septins are cytoskeletal guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding proteins that were discovered in budding yeast and are conserved from algae and protists to mammals. Septins assemble into heteromeric complexes, which can polymerize into filaments and higher-order filament architectures, and perform functions in a wide range of biological processes, including cell division and motility and tissue morphogenesis. Although septin dysfunction in animals is linked to infertility, defective organogenesis, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer, the molecular mechanisms underlying septin function are not clear. Studies of septins in vivo in whole animals provide a powerful approach for gaining insights into the role of septins in animal pathophysiology and unraveling the molecular and cell biological basis of septin function.