Rapid transport of radioactivity in goldfish optic nerve following injections of labelled glucosamine

Abstract

Tritiated glucosamine injected into the goldfish eye is incorporated into acid-insoluble and chloroform-methanol-extractable materials which are rapidly transported through the optic nerve to the contralateral optic tectum. TCA-soluble material is also transported. Glucosamine incorporation is inhibited by acetoxycycloheximide. In contrast to the labeling of both rapidly transported and slowly transported proteins by amino acids, glucosamine labels only the fast component. This suggests that labeling with amino sugars may be a specific way of demonstrating fast axoplasmic transport.