title: Mechanism of Axonal Contractility in Embryonic Drosophila Motor Neurons In Vivo.
abstract: Several in vitro and limited in vivo experiments have shown that neurons maintain a rest tension along their axons intrinsically. They grow in response to stretch but contract in response to loss of tension. This contraction eventually leads to the restoration of the rest tension in axons. However, the mechanism by which axons maintain tension in vivo remains elusive. The objective of this work is to elucidate the key cytoskeletal components responsible for generating tension in axons. Toward this goal, in vivo experiments were conducted on single axons of embryonic Drosophila motor neurons in the presence of various drugs. Each axon was slackened mechanically by bringing the neuromuscular junction toward the central nervous system multiple times. In the absence of any drug, axons shortened and restored the straight configuration within 2-4 min of slackening. The total shortening was ∼40% of the original length. The recovery rate in each cycle, but not the recovery magnitude, was dependent on the axon's prior contraction history. For example, the contraction time of a previously slackened axon may be twice its first-time contraction. This recovery was significantly hampered with the depletion of ATP, inhibition of myosin motors, and disruption of actin filaments. The disruption of microtubules did not affect the recovery magnitude, but, on the contrary, led to an enhanced recovery rate compared to control cases. These results suggest that the actomyosin machinery is the major active element in axonal contraction, whereas microtubules contribute as resistive/dissipative elements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tofangchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois. Electronic address: saif@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: M Taher A
authors.initials: MTA
authors.lastname: Saif
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D048429:Cell Size; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004330:Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D024462:Myosin Type II / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009219:Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase / Q000378:metabolism; D000071446:Neuronal Outgrowth / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013499:Surface Properties; D013997:Time Factors; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; D009219:Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase; D024462:Myosin Type II