CELL BIOLOGY OF THE NEURON Polarity ... - Tavernarakis Lab

Cell Biology of the Neuron: Polarity, Plasticity and Regeneration, Crete 2011
From Soma to Synapse: Sorting out Polarized
Transport in Neurons
Lukas Kapitein 1 , Max Schlager 1 , Marijn Kuijpers 1 , Phebe Wulf 1 , Myrrhe Van
Spronsen 1 , Fred MacKintosh 2 , Casper Hoogenraad 1
1
Utrecht University
2
VU University Amsterdam
To establish and maintain their polarized morphology, neurons employ active
transport driven by molecular motors to sort cargo between axons and dendrites.
However, the basic traffic rules governing polarized transport on neuronal
microtubule and actin arrays are unclear. To directly examine how cytoskeletal
motors contribute to polarized dendritic transport, we established a trafficking
assay in hippocampal neurons to selectively probe specific motor protein activity.
This revealed that, unlike kinesins, microtubule minus-end directed dynein
motors drive cargo selectively into dendrites, governed by their mixed
microtubule array. Furthermore, several myosin family members were found
capable of short-range cargo delivery into spines, rather than driving long-range
transport. These results demonstrate a powerful approach to study specific motor
protein activity inside living cells and imply a key role for dynein in dendritic
transport. We propose that dynein establishes the initial sorting of dendritic cargo
while kinesins and myosins assist in subsequent delivery.
Presented by: Kapitein, Lukas
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