The cell-surface proteome (CSP) defines the neuronal phenotype, and its composition dictates how neurons connect and communicate with one another and with other cell types. Yet the cell-surface proteome is not static, and its remodelling enables neurons to adapt to shifting developmental and physiological demands.

Over long developmental timescales, changes in CSP composition drive neuronal maturation. By contrast, rapid remodelling of the CSP, which can occur within minutes, endows neurons with near real-time control over their signalling and adhesive capacity, underlying dynamic processes such as growth-cone navigation and neurotransmission. Although transcriptomic and proteomic approaches can define the steady-state CSP landscape, they cannot resolve rapid changes in cell-surface protein abundance and localization. Capturing rapid remodelling of the CSP at a global scale in vivo remains a central challenge in biology.