Logo image
Kinesin-5 regulates the growth of the axon by acting as a brake on its microtubule array
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Kinesin-5 regulates the growth of the axon by acting as a brake on its microtubule array

Kenneth A Myers and Peter W Baas
The Journal of cell biology, v 178(6), pp 1081-1091
10 Sep 2007
PMID: 17846176
url
https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.200702074View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Kinesin-5 is a homotetrameric motor protein that interacts with adjacent microtubules in the mitotic spindle. Kinesin-5 is also highly expressed in developing postmitotic neurons. Axons of cultured neurons experimentally depleted of kinesin-5 grow up to five times longer than controls and display more branches. The faster growth rates are accompanied by a doubling of the frequency of transport of short microtubules, suggesting a major role for kinesin-5 in the balance of motor-driven forces on the axonal microtubule array. Live-cell imaging reveals that the effects on axonal length of kinesin-5 depletion are caused partly by a lower propensity of the axon and newly forming branches to undergo bouts of retraction. Overexpression of wild-type kinesin-5, but not a rigor mutant of kinesin-5, has the inverse effect on axonal length. These results indicate that kinesin-5 imposes restrictions on the growth of the axon and does so at least in part by generating forces on the axonal microtubule array.

Metrics

3 Record Views
146 citations in Scopus

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

InCites Highlights

Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:

Web of Science research areas
Cell Biology
Logo image