ABSTRACT
For more than a century, mechanical forces have been predicted to govern many biological processes duringdevelopment, both at the cellular level and in tissue homeostasis. The cytomechanics of the thin and highlyextended neuronal axons have intrigued generations of biologists and biophysicists. However, our knowledgeof the biophysics of neurite growth and development is far from complete. Due to its motile behavior and itsimportance in axonal pathfinding, the growth cone has received significant attention. A considerable amount ofinformation is now available on the spatiotemporal regulation of biochemical signaling and remodeling of thegrowth cone cytoskeleton. However, the cytoskeletal organization and dynamics in the axonal shaft werepoorly explored until recently. Driven by advances in microscopy, there has been a surge of interest in theaxonal cytoskeleton in the last few years. A major emerging area of investigation is the relationship betweenthe axonal cytoskeleton and the diverse mechanobiological responses of neurons. This review attempts tosummarize our current understanding of the axonal cytoskeleton and its critical role in governing axonalmechanics in the context of neuronal development.