Neuronal membrane organization by the submembranous spectrin-ankyrin scaffold: evolution, specialization and disease

Neuronal function relies on precise compartmentalization into dendritic, somatic, axonal, and synaptic domains that require specialized cellular architectures. Axons, in particular, can extend over extraordinary distances while preserving stable membrane composition, mechanical integrity, and reliable excitability. A submembranous scaffold composed of spectrin, ankyrin, actin, and associated proteins provides a conserved platform for coupling membrane proteins to cytoskeletal support and organizing membrane domains. In axons, this scaffold assembles into a membrane-associated periodic skeleton (MPS) with near-regular spacing that supports mechanical load, patterns membrane components, and contributes to compartmental boundaries. Comparative genetics indicates that core principles of spectrin-ankyrin organization are ancient, whereas vertebrate evolution expanded spectrin and ankyrin families and enabled specialized excitable domains such as the axon initial segment (AIS) and nodes of Ranvier. Pathogenic variants in spectrin and ankyrin genes disrupt neuronal development and excitability and cause a growing spectrum of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, underscoring scaffold integrity as a key determinant of circuit stability. Here, we examine how conserved spectrin-ankyrin scaffold principles were adapted to neuronal cell-type diversity and domain specialization, with emphasis on axons, synapses, and disease, and we discuss how the membrane-associated periodic skeleton may function not only as a stabilizing framework but also as a nanoscale organizer of neuronal membrane architecture.