title: Speckle microscopic evaluation of microtubule transport in growing nerve processes.
abstract: Assembly of microtubules is fundamental to neuronal morphogenesis. Microtubules typically form crosslinked bundles in nerve processes, precluding resolution of single microtubules at the light microscopic level. Therefore, previous studies of microtubule transport in neurites have had to rely on indirect approaches. Here we show that individual microtubules can be visualized directly in the axonal shafts of Xenopus embryo neurons by using digital fluorescence microscopy. We find that, although the array of axonal microtubules is dynamic, microtubules are stationary relative to the substrate. These results argue against a model in which newly synthesized tubulin is transported down the axon in the form of microtubules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics M/C 901, University of Illinois at Chicago, 835 South Wolcott Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Svitkina
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Borisy
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Popov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001370:Axonal Transport / Q000502:physiology*; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism; D008845:Microinjections; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D011108:Polymers / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014404:Tubulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D011108:Polymers; D014404:Tubulin