Members of the family of small conductance potassium (SK) channels have been shown to influence cytoskeletal plasticity and synaptic maturation in neural stem cells (NSC) and hippocampal neurons. Their activation leads to an increased outgrowth of primitive, filopodial-like cellular protrusions in neural stem cells and increased branching of hippocampal dendrites. In this work, I analyze the expression of the SK3 channel in the developing rat nervous system. Furthermore, I demonstrate that pharmacological SK3 channel activation as well as SK3 overexpression leads to increased dendritic plasticity, while pharmacological channel inhibition as well as SK3 RNAi knockdown lead to opposite effects. Finally, I identify Abelson interactor 1 (Abi-1) and N-WASP as new interaction partners for SK3 at the sites of cytoskeletal reorganization. Taken together, the findings support the idea of a multiprotein complex, consisting of SK3, Abi-1 and N-WASP, involved in cytoskeletal reorganization in response to SK3 channel activation in developing neurons
