The Golgi apparatus: adaptations to neuronal shape and functions

The Golgi apparatus is the central hub of secretory and endosomal pathways in a eukaryotic cell. Despite having a conserved basic organization, the Golgi varies greatly in structure and operation mode between different cell types, ranging from dispersed cisternae in the budding yeast to the ribbon of cisternae stacks in most mammalian cells. Cell shape and secretory demands dictate structural and functional properties of the Golgi. Neurons are a particularly interesting type of secretory cells that have a highly polarized architecture and a large and diverse secretome. The neuronal Golgi complex evolved into an elaborate set of compartmentalized organelles that process and sort diverse neuronal cargos, including synaptic proteins, neuropeptides, and neurotrophic factors. In this review, we describe the structural adaptations of the Golgi to neuronal architecture and discuss the principles of neuronal cargo sorting. We also highlight structural rearrangements of the neuronal Golgi in neurodegenerative diseases and discuss the role of mutations in Golgi-related proteins in neurodevelopment.