Rate Of Neurofilament Transport Research Articles

Dissociation of Axonal Neurofilament Content from Its Transport Rate.

The axonal cytoskeleton of neurofilament (NF) is a long-lived network of fibrous elements believed to be a stationary structure maintained by a small pool of transported cytoskeletal precursors. Accordingly, it may be predicted that NF content in axons can vary independently from the transport rate of NF. In the present report, we confirm this prediction by showing that human NFH transgenic mice and transgenic mice expressing human NFL Ser55 (Asp) develop nearly identical abnormal patterns of NF accumulation and distribution in association with opposite changes in NF slow transport rates. We also show that the rate of NF transport in wild-type mice remains constant along a length of the optic axon where NF content varies 3-fold. Moreover, knockout mice lacking NFH develop even more extreme (6-fold) proximal to distal variation in NF number, which is associated with a normal wild-type rate of NF transport. The independence of regional NF content and NF transport is consistent with previous evidence suggesting that the rate of incorporation of transported NF precursors into a metabolically stable stationary cytoskeletal network is the major determinant of axonal NF content, enabling the generation of the striking local variations in NF number seen along axons.

Local Regulation of Neurofilament Transport by Myelinating Cells

Axons in the vertebrate nervous system only expand beyond ∼ 1 μm in diameter if they become myelinated. This expansion is due in large part to the accumulation of space-filling cytoskeletal polymers called neurofilaments, which are cargoes of axonal transport. One possible mechanism for this accumulation is a decrease in the rate of neurofilament transport. To test this hypothesis, we used a fluorescence photoactivation pulse-escape technique to compare the kinetics of neurofilament transport in contiguous myelinated and unmyelinated segments of axons in long-term myelinating cocultures established from the dorsal root ganglia of embryonic rats. The myelinated segments contained more neurofilaments and had a larger cross-sectional area than the contiguous unmyelinated segments, and this correlated with a local slowing of neurofilament transport. By computational modeling of the pulse-escape kinetics, we found that this slowing of neurofilament transport could be explained by an increase in the proportion of the time that the neurofilaments spent pausing and that this increase in pausing was sufficient to explain the observed neurofilament accumulation. Thus we propose that myelinating cells can regulate the neurofilament content and morphology of axons locally by modulating the kinetics of neurofilament transport.

Analytical comparison between Nixon–Logvinenko’s and Jung–Brown’s theories of slow neurofilament transport in axons

This paper develops analytical solutions describing slow neurofilament (NF) transport in axons. The obtained solutions are based on two theories of NF transport: Nixon–Logvinenko’s theory that postulates that most NFs are incorporated into a stationary cross-linked network and only a small pool is slowly transported and Jung–Brown’s theory that postulates a single dynamic pool of NFs that are transported according to the stop-and-go hypothesis. The simplest two-kinetic state version of the model developed by Jung and Brown was compared with the theory developed by Nixon and Logvinenko. The model for Nixon–Logvinenko’s theory included stationary, pausing, and running NF populations while the model used for Jung–Brown’s theory only included pausing and running NF populations. Distributions of NF concentrations resulting from Nixon–Logvinenko’s and Jung-Brown’s theories were compared. In previous publications, Brown and colleagues successfully incorporated slowing of NF transport into their model by assuming that some kinetic constants depend on the distance from the axon hillock. In this paper we defined the average rate of NF transport as the rate of motion of the center of mass of radiolabeled NFs. We have shown that for this definition, if all kinetic rates are assumed constant, Jung–Brown’s theory predicts a constant average rate of NF transport. We also demonstrated that Nixon–Logvinenko’s theory predicts slowing of NF transport even if all kinetic rates are assumed constant, and the obtained slowing agrees well with published experimental data.

Deleting the phosphorylated tail domain of the neurofilament heavy subunit does not alter neurofilament transport rate in vivo

Phosphorylation of the carboxyl tail domains of the neurofilament heavy (NF-H) and middle molecular weight (NF-M) subunits has been proposed to regulate the axonal transport of neurofilaments. To test this hypothesis, we recently constructed mice lacking the extensively phosphorylated NF-H tail domain (NF-HtailΔ) and showed that the transport rate of neurofilaments in optic axons is unaltered in the absence of this domain [M.V. Rao, M.L. Garcia, Y. Miyazaki, T. Gotow, A. Yuan, S. Mattina, C.M. Ward, N.A. Calcutt, Y. Uchiyama, R.A. Nixon, D.W. Cleveland, Gene replacement in mice reveals that the heavily phosphorylated tail of neurofilament heavy subunit does not affect axonal caliber or the transit of cargoes in slow axonal transport, J. Cell Biol. 158 (2002) 681–693]. However, Shea et al. proposed that deletion of NF-H carboxyl-terminal region accelerates the transport of a subpopulation of neurofilaments based on minor differences between tail-deleted and control mice in our axonal transport analysis. Here, we present additional evidence that neurofilament transport rate is unchanged after deleting the phosphorylated NF-H tail domain, establishing unequivocally that the NF-H tail domain alone does not regulate the rate of neurofilament transport in optic axons in vivo. Possible roles for tail domains as cross-bridges between a neurofilament and its neighbors or other cytoskeletal elements is discussed.

Increased solubility of high-molecular-mass neurofilament subunit by suppression of dephosphorylation: its relation to axonal transport.

To investigate the role of phosphorylation in the turnover and transport of neurofilament (NF) proteins in vivo, we studied their solubility properties and axonal transport in the rat sciatic nerve using phosphatase inhibitors to minimize dephosphorylation during preparation. About 20% of the 200-kDa subunit (NF-H) in the axon was soluble in the 1% Triton-containing buffer under the present conditions, whereas this amount was less and more variable in the absence of phosphatase inhibitors. The 68-kDa subunit (NF-L) was exclusively insoluble and not affected by the inhibitors. Such selective solubilization of NF-H by phosphorylation differed significantly from the in vitro phosphorylation with cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, which resulted in NF disassembly. The carboxy-terminal phosphorylation state of NF-H probed with the phosphorylation-sensitive antibodies was also not directly related to solubility. The solubility of NF-H did not differ along the nerve. In contrast, the solubility of L-[35S]methionine-labeled, transported NF-H was lowest at the peak of radioactivity. Higher solubility at the leading edge, regardless of its location along the nerve, indicates that NF-H solubility is positively correlated with the rate of NF transport.

The maximum rate of neurofilament transport in axons: a view of molecular transport mechanisms continuously engaged

Neurofilaments (NFs) were radiolabeled in the optic systems of mice. The leading edge of the radiolabeled NF waveform was distinguished near the injection site (the eye) both by liquid scintillation spectroscopy and visually from fluorographs. The fastest NFs were found to be translocated at rates between 72 and 144 mm/day. It appears that the continuous (maximal) operation of the slow axonal transport machinery can move polymers intra-axonally at rates one hundred times greater than those previously reported.

Decreased levels of the high molecular weight subunit of neurofilaments and accelerated neurofilament transport during the recovery phase of 2,5-hexanedione exposure.

The neurotoxicant 2,5-hexanedione (HD) causes the accumulation of neurofilaments in the distal axon and an acceleration of neurofilament transport proximal to the site of their accumulation. It has been proposed that the acceleration of transport is due to the direct reaction of HD with neurofilament proteins and, conversely, that this acceleration is a secondary response to the axon to injury. The objective of this study was to determine whether the response of axons to HD intoxication includes acceleration of neurofilament transport. Pulse labelling was used to analyze neurofilament transport in age-matched rats exposed to HD or PBS. The animals receiving HD were exposed either throughout the period of radiolabel transport, or prior to the pulse labeling of neurofilament proteins. If acceleration of the rate of neurofilament transport was due to the direct reaction of HD with proteins, then neurofilaments synthesized after the exposure period should travel at control rates, since these proteins would not have been exposed to the toxicant. After 28 days of transport, optic nerve proteins were examined using SDS-PAGE, fluorography, and computerized densitometry. In both HD-treated groups, neurofilament transport was accelerated relative to age-matched control animals. In addition, the amount of NFH was decreased relative to other neurofilament subunits. The combination of accelerated transport and a diminished proportion of NFH is similar to the observations of neurofilament axonal transport during growth and development. These observations suggest that this persistent, secondary effect is a reparative response to injury that recapitulates axonal growth and development.

The role of pyrrole formation in the alteration of neurofilament transport induced during exposure to 2,5-hexanedione.

Exposure to the gamma-diketone, 2,5-hexanedione (HD), results in the accumulation of neurofilaments within the distal axon and is associated with acceleration of neurofilament transport within the proximal axon. The epsilon-amino groups of lysyl residues react with HD forming pyrrole adducts, followed by pyrrole-mediated protein crosslinking. Both reaction steps have been proposed as mechanisms causing neurofilament accumulation and acceleration of transport. In order to assess the importance of these steps on neurofilament transport, we compared transport in the optic system of rats exposed to HD and 3-acetyl-2,5-hexanedione (AcHD), a non-toxic analog of HD which forms pyrroles but does not crosslink proteins. Control, HD-treated, and AcHD-treated rats received intraoptic injections of [35S]-methionine and were exposed to saline, HD, or AcHD by intraperitoneal injections before and during the period of neurofilament transport. Neurofilament triplet proteins in the optic nerve and tract were identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by fluorography. The rate of neurofilament transport was accelerated in HD-treated animals over that of controls. However, despite higher levels of protein-bound pyrroles in AcHD-treated animals, the rate of transport was indistinguishable from that of controls. These findings indicate that pyrrole formation alone is not sufficient to cause acceleration of neurofilament transport.

Phosphorylation-related immunoreactivity and the rate of transport of neurofilaments in chronic 2,5-hexanedione intoxication

Axonal transport of neurofilaments and the phosphorylation of epitopes on neurofilament proteins was studied in rats chronically intoxicated with 2,5-hexanedione. Sensory axons arising from the L 5 dorsal root ganglion exhibited accelerated transport and a reduced abundance of neurofilament proteins. The binding of an antibody to phosphorylated neurofilament epitopes was compared to the binding of an antibody to non-phosphorylated epitopes by quantitative ELISA. This immunochemical index of neurofilament phosphorylation was reduced in dorsal roots, proximal peripheral sensory axons and ventral roots, but not in a distal nerve (the nerve to the soleus). Axotomy produced a reduction in neurofilament protein abundance comparable to hexanedione without any change in the immunochemical phosphorulation index. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the state of phosphorylation of neurofilaments in proximal axons is correlated with the rate of neurofilament transport.

Giant axonopathy characterized by intermediate location of axonal enlargements and acceleration of neurofilament transport

It has previously been shown that 2,5-hexanedione (2,5-HD) and its 3,4-dimethyl derivative (3,4-DMHD) induce neurofilamentous accumulations at prenodal sites in distal and proximal, respectively, regions of peripheral axons. For 2,5-HD, neurofilament (NF) transport is accelerated and this is thought to be directly related to the appearance of the axonal enlargements. For 3,4-DMHD, however, the rate of NF transport cannot be assessed owing to the very proximal position of NF accumulation. In the present study, it is shown that administration to rats of 3-methyl-2,5-hexanedione, the structural ‘average’ of 2,5-HD and 3,4-DMHD, induces NF accumulations at midway axonal positions of the sciatic and optic systems, and results in acceleration of NF in the sections of optic axons proximal to the enlargements. These results suggest that a common mechanism underlies all γ-diketone neuropathies, and that the proximodistal pattern to axonal enlargements represents pharmacokinetic variables rather than differences in mode of action. The neurotoxicity of γ-diketones probably arises from pyrrolation of lysine ε-amino groups in crucial regions of NF or related proteins responsible for maintaining the proper supramolecular organization of the cytoskeleton. Acceleration of NF transport appears to be a common characteristic of chemically induced axonopathies, regardless of location, and this is contrary to the theory that γ-diketone-induced NF accumulation results primarily from a progressive cross-linking of NF occuring subsequent to pyrrole formation.

The density of neurofilaments differs in the somatic motor and parasympathetic oculomotor axons of chickens

The rate of neurofilament transport in somatic oculomotor axons is 2-3 times faster than 1t 1s in the preganglionic parasympathetic oculomotor axons of young chickens. The rate of neurofilament transport may be influenced by the lateral interactions between neurofilaments. To determine whether the lateral Interactions between neurofilaments differs between the somatic motor and the parasympathetic axons, we determined the neurofilament density 1n these axons.

Control of axonal caliber by neurofilament transport.

The role of neurofilaments, the intermediate filaments of nerve cells, has been conjectural. Previous morphological studies have suggested a close relationship between neurofilament content and axonal caliber. In this study, the regenerating neuron was used as a model system for testing the hypotheses that neurofilaments are intrinsic determinants of axonal caliber, and that neurofilament content is controlled by the axonal transport of neurofilaments. This system was chosen because previous studies had shown that, after axotomy, axonal caliber was reduced within the proximal stump of the regenerating nerve and, because the relative amount of neurofilament protein undergoing axonal transport in regenerating axons was selectively reduced. The relationship between axonal caliber and neurofilament number was examined in a systematic fashion in both regenerating and control motor axons in rat L5 ventral root. Reconstruction of the spatial and temporal sequences of axonal atrophy in the proximal stump after axotomy showed that reductions in axonal caliber were first detected in the most proximal region of the root and subsequently progressed in a proximal-to-distal direction at a rate of 1.7 mm/day, which is identical to the rate of neurofilament transport in these neurons. Quantitative ultrastructural studies showed that these reductions in caliber correlated with a proportional decrease in the number of axonal neurofilaments but not microtubules. These results support the hypotheses that neurofilament content is a major intrinsic determinant of axonal caliber and that neurofilament content is controlled by the axonal transport of neurofilaments. On this basis, we suggest a role for neurofilaments in the control of axonal volume.