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A Mechanism for Neurofilament Transport Acceleration through Nodes of Ranvier

Publication ,  Journal Article
Ciocanel, M-V; Jung, P; Brown, A
Published in: Molecular Biology of the Cell
January 27, 2020

Neurofilaments are abundant space-filling cytoskeletal polymers in axons that are transported along microtubule tracks. Neurofilament transport is accelerated at nodes of Ranvier, where axons are locally constricted. Strikingly, these constrictions are accompanied by a sharp decrease in neurofilament number but no decrease in microtubule number, bringing neurofilaments closer to their microtubule tracks. We hypothesize this leads to an increase in the proportion of the time that the filaments spend moving and that this can explain the local acceleration. To test this, we developed a stochastic model of neurofilament transport that tracks their number, kinetic state and proximity to nearby microtubules in space and time. The model assumes that the probability of a neurofilament moving is dependent on its distance from the nearest available microtubule track. Taking into account experimentally reported numbers and densities for neurofilaments and microtubules in nodes and internodes, we show that the model is sufficient to explain the local acceleration of neurofilaments across nodes of Ranvier. This suggests that proximity to microtubule tracks may be a key regulator of neurofilament transport in axons, which has implications for the mechanism of neurofilament accumulation in development and disease.

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Published In

Molecular Biology of the Cell

DOI

ISSN

1044-2030

Publication Date

January 27, 2020

Volume

31

Issue

7

Publisher

American Society for Cell Biology

Related Subject Headings

  • Developmental Biology
  • 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology
  • 11 Medical and Health Sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
 

Citation

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Ciocanel, M.-V., Jung, P., & Brown, A. (2020). A Mechanism for Neurofilament Transport Acceleration through Nodes of Ranvier. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 31(7). https://doi.org/10.1101/806786
Ciocanel, Maria-Veronica, Peter Jung, and Anthony Brown. “A Mechanism for Neurofilament Transport Acceleration through Nodes of Ranvier.” Molecular Biology of the Cell 31, no. 7 (January 27, 2020). https://doi.org/10.1101/806786.
Ciocanel M-V, Jung P, Brown A. A Mechanism for Neurofilament Transport Acceleration through Nodes of Ranvier. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 2020 Jan 27;31(7).
Ciocanel, Maria-Veronica, et al. “A Mechanism for Neurofilament Transport Acceleration through Nodes of Ranvier.” Molecular Biology of the Cell, vol. 31, no. 7, American Society for Cell Biology, Jan. 2020. Manual, doi:10.1101/806786.
Ciocanel M-V, Jung P, Brown A. A Mechanism for Neurofilament Transport Acceleration through Nodes of Ranvier. Molecular Biology of the Cell. American Society for Cell Biology; 2020 Jan 27;31(7).

Published In

Molecular Biology of the Cell

DOI

ISSN

1044-2030

Publication Date

January 27, 2020

Volume

31

Issue

7

Publisher

American Society for Cell Biology

Related Subject Headings

  • Developmental Biology
  • 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology
  • 11 Medical and Health Sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences