title: A gate keeper for axonal transport.
abstract: The axon and dendritic arbor of neurons require different sets of membrane proteins to carry out their functions. In this issue, Song et al. (2009) describe how a cytoplasmic diffusion barrier in the axon initial segment of rat hippocampal neurons ensures that only axonal (and not dendritic) membrane proteins enter the axon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
authors.forename: Shaohua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Lily Yeh
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Jan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001370:Axonal Transport; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats