Neuronal-specific septin-3

Neuronal-specific septin-3 (SEPTIN3) is a filament-forming cytoskeletal GTPase involved in regulating cell division and cytokinesis (UniProt: Q9UH03). As a member of the septin family, it functions as a structural protein contributing to the organization of the cytoskeleton in neurons. The protein is expressed as a 358-amino acid, ~41 kDa polypeptide in human cells.

SEPTIN3 is specifically enriched in neuronal tissues, consistent with its "neuronal-specific" designation. While UniProt reports no primary disease associations, this protein's role in cytoskeletal dynamics makes it relevant to neuronal integrity and function. Septins have been implicated in various cellular processes critical to neuronal physiology, including membrane organization and cell morphogenesis.

In Alzheimer's Disease, SEPTIN3 shows modest upregulation in post-mortem AD brain tissue compared to age-matched controls (mean log2 fold-change: 0.1003), detected via TMT-labeled proteomics across multiple subcellular fractions (Chaparral AD proteomics). The direction of upregulation suggests potential compensatory changes or alterations in cytoskeletal dynamics associated with AD pathology, though the effect size is small.