title: Mechanistic logic underlying the axonal transport of cytosolic proteins.
abstract: Proteins vital to presynaptic function are synthesized in the neuronal perikarya and delivered into synapses via two modes of axonal transport. While membrane-anchoring proteins are conveyed in fast axonal transport via motor-driven vesicles, cytosolic proteins travel in slow axonal transport via mechanisms that are poorly understood. We found that in cultured axons, populations of cytosolic proteins tagged to photoactivatable GFP (PAGFP) move with a slow motor-dependent anterograde bias distinct from both vesicular trafficking and diffusion of untagged PAGFP. The overall bias is likely generated by an intricate particle kinetics involving transient assembly and short-range vectorial spurts. In vivo biochemical studies reveal that cytosolic proteins are organized into higher order structures within axon-enriched fractions that are largely segregated from vesicles. Data-driven biophysical modeling best predicts a scenario where soluble molecules dynamically assemble into mobile supramolecular structures. We propose a model where cytosolic proteins are transported by dynamically assembling into multiprotein complexes that are directly/indirectly conveyed by motors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Utpal
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Subhojit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001370:Axonal Transport / Q000502:physiology*; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism*; D019922:GAP-43 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008128:Logic; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D016704:Synapsins / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D019922:GAP-43 Protein; D016704:Synapsins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2