Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Axonal Transport”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 505 records · Page 28Linked to original sources

Axonal transport and distribution of synaptobrevin I and II in the rat peripheral nervous system.

Synaptobrevin, a membrane protein of synaptic vesicles that plays a key role in exocytosis, occurs in two closely related isoforms, synaptobrevin I and II. We have analyzed the axonal transport of both isoforms in sciatic nerve and spinal roots. When fast axonal transport was interrupted by crushing, the proteins accumulated continuously proximal to the crush. Accumulation also was observed distal to the crush, but to a lesser extent (47 and 63% of the proximal accumulation for synaptobrevin I and II, respectively). Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that, proximal to the crush, synaptobrevin I and II were associated with small clear vesicles reminiscent of typical synaptic vesicles. Distal to the crush, membranes positive for synaptobrevin I or II were more heterogeneous, including larger membrane profiles that may represent endosomes. In spinal cord, synaptobrevin I and II were colocalized in many terminals. However, labeling for synaptobrevin I was more intense whereas labeling for synaptobrevin II was stronger in dorsal than in ventral horn terminals. Motor endplates contained only synaptobrevin I. In the sciatic nerve, synaptobrevin I was present predominantly in large, myelinated axons, whereas synoptobrevin II was virtually absent but abundant in small- and medium-sized axons. Lumbar sympathectomy, ventral rhizotomy, and double-labeling studies confirmed that synaptobrevin I is present predominantly in motor neurons whereas synaptobrevin II is present in adrenergic and sensory neurons. We conclude that synaptobrevin I and II are transported bidirectionally by fast axonal transport and are expressed heterogeneously in different neurons in the peripheral nervous system of the adult rat, suggesting that these isoforms have special functional roles in different sets of neurons.

Animals↗

Weak-base amines inhibit the anterograde-to-retrograde conversion of axonally transported vesicles in nerve terminals.

Acidotropic weak-base amines were used to investigate the role of acidic compartments in the pathway of aterograde-to-retrograde conversion of axonally transported vesicles in axon terminals. A local concentrated population of nascent axon tips was produced by transecting the rat sciatic nerve in situ to allow local and direct exposure of the axon tips to test solutions. Immersion of the nascent axon tips in solutions containing 10 mM ammonium choloride or 10 mM propylamine caused the axon tips to become distended by an accumulation of elongated membranous tubules and occasional large vacuoles that were both distinct from retrograde organelles. To test whether this accumulation was the result of an impairment of anterograde-to-retrograde conversion, a radioactive pulse-labelling method was used together with a retrograde collection ligature, to quantify the proportion of anterogradely transported proteins that returned from the axon tips by retrograde transport. Exposure of the axon tips to 10 mM ammonium chloride caused the anterogradely transported membrane proteins to accumulate in the axon tips and reduced by about 50% the amount of protein that returned to the retrograde collection ligature. These observations implicate the involvement of acidic membranous compartments in the anterograde-to-retrograde conversion pathway that leads to the formation of retrograde organelles in axon tips. Exposure of nerves to Acridine Orange, which is a vital acidotropic fluorescent dye, confirmed the presence of acidic compartments in the axon tips. Based on these observations, we propose that the membranous tubules that accumulated in the axon tips in the presence of weak-base amines represent a transient intermediate in the pathway of anterograde-to-retrograde conversion of axonally transported vesicles in axon terminals, and that acidic membranous compartments within axon terminals are required for the conversion of these tubules into retrograde organelles.

Acridine Orange↗

A model for slow axonal transport and its application to neurofilamentous neuropathies.

A model for slow axonal transport is developed in which the essential features are reversible binding of cytoskeletal elements and of soluble cytosolic proteins to each other and to motile elements such as actin microfilaments. Computer simulation of the equations of the model demonstrate that the model can account for many of the features of the SCa and SCb waves observed in pulse experiments. The model also provides a unified explanation for the increase and decrease of neurofilament transport rates observed in various toxicant-induced neuropathies.

Actins↗

Kinesin-mediated axonal transport of a membrane compartment containing beta-secretase and presenilin-1 requires APP.

Proteolytic processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) generates amyloid-beta peptide and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. However, the normal function of APP, whether this function is related to the proteolytic processing of APP, and where this processing takes place in neurons in vivo remain unknown. We have previously shown that the axonal transport of APP in neurons is mediated by the direct binding of APP to the kinesin light chain subunit of kinesin-I, a microtubule motor protein. Here we identify an axonal membrane compartment that contains APP, beta-secretase and presenilin-1. The fast anterograde axonal transport of this compartment is mediated by APP and kinesin-I. Proteolytic processing of APP can occur in the compartment in vitro and in vivo in axons. This proteolysis generates amyloid-beta and a carboxy-terminal fragment of APP, and liberates kinesin-I from the membrane. These results suggest that APP functions as a kinesin-I membrane receptor, mediating the axonal transport of beta-secretase and presenilin-1, and that processing of APP to amyloid-beta by secretases can occur in an axonal membrane compartment transported by kinesin-I.

Amyloid beta-Peptides↗

Carboxypeptidase H in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system: evidence for processing and activation of a prohormone-processing enzyme during axonal transport.

Investigations of peptide precursor processing in nerve cells, including studies on prooxytocin and provasopressin processing in the rat hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system, show that prohormone processing occurs during axonal transport of maturing secretory vesicles. Recent studies (Fricker et al., 1989; Rodriguez et al., 1989) show that carboxypeptidase H (CPH), one of several proteases required for prohormone processing, is synthesized as a proenzyme that presumably requires activation. To determine if pro-CPH, like prohormone precursors, is processed and activated during axonal transport, we have analyzed the molecular forms of CPH present at several levels in the rat hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system. These biochemical and immunochemical studies showed that the supraoptic nucleus (SON), a region enriched in neuronal cell bodies, possesses primarily an inactive 65-kDa species of CPH. The median eminence and pituitary stalk regions that are enriched in axons possess both the inactive 65-kDa and the active 55-kDa forms of CPH, and nerve terminals of the posterior pituitary contain primarily the active 55-kDa CPH. These results support the hypothesis that pro-CPH is processed and activated during axonal transport from neuronal perikarya of SON to nerve terminals of the posterior pituitary. Furthermore, analysis of immunoreactive CPH in the rat and bovine pituitary showed that each tissue possessed different relative amounts of zymogen compared to mature forms of CPH, suggesting that tissue-specific processing of pro-CPH occurs. Thus, the biosynthesis of active peptide hormones requires the simultaneous processing of proenzyme and prohormone.

Animals↗

Axonal transport: beyond kinesin and cytoplasmic dynein.

In vitro and in vivo studies of specific neuronal fast and slow transport components are presently reshaping our understanding of how the processes of vesicular and cytoskeletal transport are regulated in axons and dendrites. Evidence suggests that vesicles possess an inherent directionality, possibly the result of their motor receptor proteins responding to intracellular cues, which then allows movement with either kinesin or cytoplasmic dynein.

Animals↗

Pathogenesis of herpetic neuritis and ganglionitis in mice: evidence for intra-axonal transport of infection.

The pathogenesis of acute herpetic infection in the nervous system has been studied following rear footpad inoculation of mice. Viral assays performed on appropriate tissues at various time intervals indicated that the infection progressed sequentially from peripheral to the central nervous system, with infectious virus reaching the sacrosciatic spinal ganglia in 20 to 24 hr. The infection also progressed to ganglia in mice given high levels of anti-viral antibody. Immunofluorescent techniques demonstrated that both neurons and supporting cells produced virus-specific antigens. By electron microscopy, neurons were found to produce morphologically complete virions, but supporting cells replicated principally nucleocapsids. These results are discussed in the context of possible mechanisms by which herpes simplex virus might travel in nerve trunks. They are considered to offer strong support for centripetal transport in axons.

Animals↗

Anterograde fast component of axonal transport during insulin-induced hypoglycemia in nondiabetic and diabetic rats.

To elucidate the pathogenesis of the peripheral neuropathy associated with hypoglycemia the anterograde fast component (aFC) of axonal transport was studied in nondiabetic rats during acute and prolonged insulin-induced hypoglycemia and in streptozocin-diabetic (STZ-D) rats with acute hypoglycemia. [35S]methionine and [3H]fucose were injected into the dorsal root ganglion (L5) to label protein and glycoprotein, respectively. During the 4 h of transport, thigh temperature was maintained constant. Acute severe hypoglycemia (1.5 +/- 0.2 mM) was associated with a 36% decrease in the amount of aFC (2.3 +/- 0.7% in the test group vs. 3.6 +/- 0.8% in the controls), whereas transport velocity was unaffected. Prolonged hypoglycemia, obtained by pretreatment with insulin for 3 days, prevented the decrease in amount of aFC. In STZ-D rats, acute severe hypoglycemia (1.5 +/- 0.6 mM) produced a similar but less-pronounced decrease of aFC. We conclude that hypoglycemia is associated with alterations in axonal transport that could play a role in development of neuropathy. Prolonged hypoglycemia protects axonal transport against the effects of glucopenia, and an untreated diabetic state maintained for several days has a partially protective effect against episodes of hypoglycemia.

Animals↗

Anterograde components of axonal transport in motor and sensory nerves in experimental 2,5-hexanedione neuropathy.

Anterograde slow and fast axonal transport was examined in rats intoxicated with 2,5-hexanedione (1 g/kg/week) for 8 weeks. Distribution of radioactivity was measured in 3-mm segments of the sciatic nerve after labelling of proteins with [35S]methionine or [3H]leucine and glycoproteins with [3H]fucose. The axonal transport of the anterograde slow components was examined after 25 (SCa) and 10 days (SCb), in motor and sensory nerves. SCa showed an increased transport velocity in motor (1.25 +/- 0.08 mm/day versus 1.01 +/- 0.05 mm/day) and in sensory nerves (1.21 +/- 0.13 mm/day versus 1.06 +/- 0.07 mm/day). The relative amount of labelled protein in the SCa wave in both fiber systems was also increased. SCb showed unchanged transport velocity in motor as well as in sensory nerves, whereas the amount of label was decreased in the motor system. Anterograde fast transport in motor nerves was examined after intervals of 3 and 5 h, whereas intervals of 2 and 4 h were used for sensory nerves. Velocities and amounts of labelled proteins of the anterograde fast component remained normal. We suggest that the increase in protein transport in SCa reflects axonal regeneration.

Animals↗

Retrograde axonal transport following injection of [3H]serotonin in the olfactory bulb. I. Biochemical study.

A retrograde axonal transport from the serotonergic nerve terminals in the olfactory bulb (OB) to their parent cell bodies in the midbrain raphe nuclei has been demonstrated after stereotaxic injection of [2H]5-HT into the OB of rats pretreated with a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor: at various time intervals thereafter (4-92 h) there was a preferential accumulation of radioactivity mainly in the raphe dorsalis nucleus (RDN). Maximal accumulation occurred at 24 h. Of this radioactivity, 30-50% was recovered as 5-HT. The accumulation was estimated to take place at two rates: a fast one (48 mm/day) and a slower one (16 mm/day). Under the same experimental conditions there was no clear evidence for a retrograde accumulation of [3H]norepinephrine in the RDN. A passive diffusion mechanism could be excluded since the diffuson of tracer towards the cerebrospinal fluid was prevented by prior mechanical obstruction of the olfactory diverticle of the lateral ventricle. Furthermore, colchicine strongly reduced (by 80%) the radioactive accumulatin in the RDN. Destruction of serotonergic nerve terminals by 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine or inhibiton of 5-HT uptake by fluoxetine decreased this retrograde accumulation whereas destruction of catecholaminergic nerve terminals by 6-hydroxydopamine was without effect. Pretreatment with reserpine decreased the amount of radioactivity transported to the RDN by 40%. In the absence of MAO inhibition pretreatment, animals still presentd 35% of the tracer transported to the RDN. Intrabulbar injection of MAO inhibitor did not affect the accumulation rates when compared with animals which received the inhibitor by the intraperitoneal route. In conclusion, the retrograde axonal transport following [3H]5-HT injection in the serotonergic RDN-OB system occurs via an active process which depends on a colchicine-sensitive mechanism and is partially linked to a reserp ine-sensitive structure. During its transport, the amine seems to be relatively protected from metabolic inactivation.

Animals↗

Prominent axonopathy and disruption of axonal transport in transgenic mice expressing human apolipoprotein E4 in neurons of brain and spinal cord.

The epsilon 4 allele of the human apolipoprotein E gene (ApoE4) constitutes an important genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Recent experimental evidence suggests that human ApoE is expressed in neurons, in addition to being synthesized in glial cells. Moreover, brain regions in which neurons express ApoE seem to be most vulnerable to neurofibrillary pathology. The hypothesis that the expression pattern of human ApoE might be important for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease was tested by generating transgenic mice that express human ApoE4 in neurons or in astrocytes of the central nervous system. Transgenic mice expressing human ApoE4 in neurons developed axonal degeneration and gliosis in brain and in spinal cord, resulting in reduced sensorimotor capacities. In these mice, axonal dilatations with accumulation of synaptophysin, neurofilaments, mitochondria, and vesicles were documented, suggesting impairment of axonal transport. In contrast, transgenic mice expressing human ApoE4 in astrocytes remained normal throughout life. These results suggest that expression of human ApoE in neurons of the central nervous system could contribute to impaired axonal transport and axonal degeneration. The possible contribution of hyperphosphorylation of protein Tau to the resulting phenotype is discussed.

Animals↗

Organelles in fast axonal transport. What molecules do they carry in anterograde vs retrograde directions, as observed in mammalian systems?

The present minireview describes experiments carried out, in short-term crush-operated rat nerves, using immunofluorescence and cytofluorimetric scanning techniques to study endogenous substances in anterograde and retrograde fast axonal transport. Vesicle membrane components p38 (synaptophysin) and SV2 are accumulating on both sides of a crush, but a larger proportion of p38 (about 3/4) than of SV2 (about 1/2) is recycling toward the cell body, compared to the amount carried with anterograde transport. Matrix peptides, such as CGRP, ChRA, VIP, and DBH are recycling to a minor degree, although only 10-20% of surface-associated molecules, such as synapsins and kinesin, appear to recycle. The described methodological approach to study the composition of organelles in fast axonal transport, anterograde as compared to retrograde, is shown to be useful for investigating neurobiological processes. We make use of the "in vivo chromatography" process that the fast axonal transport system constitutes. Only substances that are in some way either stored in, or associated with, transported organelles can be clearly observed to accumulate relative to the crush region. Emphasis in this paper was given to the synapsins, because of diverging results published concerning the degree of affiliation with various neuronal organelles. Our previously published results have indicated that in the living axons the SYN I is affiliated with mainly anterogradely fast transported organelles. Therefore, some preliminary, previously unpublished results on the accumulations of the four different synapsins (SYN Ia, SYN Ib, SYN IIa, and SYN IIb), using antisera specific for each of the four members of the synapsin family, are described. It was found that SYN Ib clearly has a stronger affiliation to anterogradely transported organelles than SYN Ia, and that both SYN IIa and SYN IIb are bound to some degree to transported organelles.

Animals↗

Axonal transport of thiamine in frog sciatic nerves in vitro.

Thiamine has an essential and unknown function in nerve membranes. Administration of thiamine can alleviate symptoms of thiamine deficiency within a few hours. The time course is consistent with a fast axonal transport of the vitamin. Very little is known about axonal transport of low-molecular-weight substances with a preferential localization to the axon membrane. We investigated if labeled thiamine could be transported in the frog sciatic nerve. Radioactivity accumulated proximal to a ligature on the sciatic nerve after supplying the dorsal ganglia with [35S]thiamine in vitro. The accumulation was reduced by inhibition of the energy metabolism with dinitrophenol and by inhibition of protein synthesis in the ganglia with cycloheximide. Vinblastine did not affect the accumulation of thiamine at a concentration which was sufficient to block transport of [3H]leucine-labeled proteins. Accumulation distal to a ligature could be demonstrated in vivo but not in vitro after injecting the gastrocnemius muscle with labeled thiamine. Axonal transport of [3H]leucine-labeled proteins was inhibited by thiamine at millimolar concentrations in the incubation medium. A transient reduction of the compound action potential was obtained at these concentrations. Thiamine was migrating at a fast rate in frog sciatic nerves in both orthograde and retrograde directions. The uptake and/or transport was dependent on energy metabolism and a concomitant protein synthesis. The lack of effect by vinblastine suggests that the transported fraction of thiamine differs in subcellular localization from the bulk of transported [3H]leucine-labeled proteins.

Animals↗

Stop-flow: a new technique for measuring axonal transport, and its application to the transport of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase.

An apparatus was devised which utilizes local cooling to reversibly interrupt the axonal transport of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) in rabbit sciatic nerves in vitro. Lowering the temperature of a short region of nerve to between 1 and 3 degrees C, while keeping the remainder at 37 degrees C, caused DBH activity to accumulate in and proximal to the cooled region. This accumulation was evident after 0.5 hr of cooling and increased in a nearly linear fashion with time for about 3 hr. The cooling-induced interruption in transport was rapidly reversed when nerves were rewarmed to 37 degrees C. Upon rewarming after local cooling for 1.5 hr, a peak of accumulated DBH activity migrated toward the distal end of the nerve at a velocity of 300 +/- 17 mm/day. This velocity was maintained for as long as the peak could be followed and was four times greater than the average velocity estimated from the rate of accumulation of DBH activity above a ligature at the distal end of these same nerves. It is concluded that ligation experiments grossly underestimate the true velocity of axonal transport of DBH and that the present technique offers great advantages in permitting direct study of the migration of separate axonal compartments of transported materials.

Animals↗

Indirect evidence for the importance of axonal transport in maintenance of stores of the mediator of neurogenic oedema.

The importance of axonal transport in maintenance of stores of the mediator of the neurogenic oedema response to electrical stimulation of the saphenous nerve was studied in anaesthetized rats. The neurogenic oedema response was quantified using an Evans blue dye leakage technique. The response was found to be significantly reduced by one 15 min period of electrical stimulation of the nerve at 10Hz with 25 V, 2 ms pulses, and abolished following two 15 min periods of stimulation. There was some recovery of the response over the succeeding 2 h following one 15 min period of stimulation, but there was no recovery up to 48 h after two 15 min periods of stimulation. Bathing the saphenous nerve, in vivo, with colchicine or cutting the nerve, resulted in abolition of the response measured 48 h later. The results suggest that axonal transport from the cell body is essential in the maintenance of stores of the mediator of neurogenic oedema and hence there was no short-term recovery of the response following its abolition by electrical stimulation. The partial recovery observed when the response was reduced but not abolished by previous electrical stimulation, probably occurred by replenishment of mediator from pre-terminal stores.

Animals↗

Axonal transport of actin and regeneration rate in non-myelinated sensory nerve fibres.

The relationship was examined between the rate of regeneration and rate of axonal transport of actin in the sensory fibres of the rabbit vagus nerve. Regeneration rate, determined as the distance moved by [35S]methionine-radiolabelled, fast-transported proteins beyond a crush, was about 3 mm/day. The rate of transport of actin, identified by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with fluorography, and DNase affinity chromatography, was 25-30 mm/day. No slower rate of actin transport comparable with regeneration rate, could be found in either control or regenerating nerves. While the provision of actin, by slow axonal transport, to the axonal growth cone may be essential for nerve regeneration, the regeneration rate is not directly controlled by the rate of actin transport.

Actins↗

The action of puromycin and cycloheximide on the initiation of rapid axonal transport in amphibian dorsal root neurones.

1. Amphibian dorsal root ganglia-sciatic nerve preparations were incubated in vitro and the rapid axonal transport of radioactive labels was studied with a position-sensitive detector and by conventional liquid scintillation analysis. Protein was labelled by exposure of the ganglia to [(35)S]methionine or [(3)H]leucine and lipid was labelled using [(32)P]orthophosphoric acid.2. Protein synthesis was interrupted by exposure of the ganglia to either cycloheximide or puromycin. When ganglia were exposed to either inhibitor prior to or simultaneously with a label, the somal export of both protein and lipid to the axon was reduced by two to three orders of magnitude.3. Using the position-sensitive detector, [(35)S]methionine was observed to be exported from the ninth dorsal root ganglia of Rana catesbiana 3.49+/-1.56 h (+/- S.D.) after exposure, and [(32)P]phosphate 4.46+/-1.85 h after exposure.4. Export of [(35)S]methionine or [(32)P]phosphate was disrupted 3.32+/-1.21 h (+/- S.D.) or 1.93+/-1.04 h respectively after exposure of the ganglia to cycloheximide or puromycin.5. For a given preparation the time required for [(35)S]methionine to be exported was statistically equal to the time required for cycloheximide or puromycin to disrupt export. No such correlation was found to exist for the export of [(32)P]phosphate.6. Analysis revealed that materials labelled with either [(35)S]methionine or [(32)P]phosphate continue to be exported from the ganglia for several hours after the initial disruption in outflow caused by the inhibitors.7. The results do not provide support for the hypothesis of Ambron, Goldman & Schwartz (1975) that a ;key' newly synthesized, and non-storable, polypeptide is added to an already assembled structure to allow rapid axonal transport to be initiated.

Animals↗

Reutilization of precursor following axonal transport of [3H]proline-labeled protein.

In further studies on axonally transported protein in the goldfish visual system, the turnover of rapidly transported [3H]proline-labeled protein was examined. It was found that: (1) a fraction of the rapidly transported protein has a relatively short half-life; (2) [3H]proline released following proteolysis of transported protein is efficiently reutilized for tectal protein synthesis, as inferred from an increased labeling of nuclear protein in the contralateral tectum (COT) relative to that in the ipsilateral tectum (IOT); (3) a small amount of [3H]proline arrives in the COT by axonal flow of the free amino acid; and (4) [3H]leucine and [3H]asparagine are less efficiently reutilized than [3H]proline. These findings may relate to the phenomenon of transneuronal transfer of radioactivity which has been observed with [3H]proline as precursor. The extensive reutilization of [3H]proline may account for part or all of the labeling at secondary synaptic sites. The results suggest that asparagine may be highly suitable for radioautographic identification of primary neuronal fields.

Acetohexamide↗