Microtubule Associated Protein 2 (MAP2)

Microtubule-associated protein 2 is a protein that belongs to the microtubule-associated protein family. The proteins of this family are thought to be involved in microtubule assembly, which is an essential step in neurogenesis.

MAP2 serves to stabilize microtubules (MT) growth by crosslinking MT with intermediate filaments and other MT. The products of similar genes in rat and mouse are neuron-specific cytoskeletal proteins that are enriched in dendrites, implicating a role in determining and stabilizing dentritic shape during neuron development. A number of alternatively spliced variants encoding distinct isforms have been described.