MECHANISM OF AXONAL-TRANSPORT - IDENTIFICATION OF NEW MOLECULAR MOTORS AND REGULATIONS OF TRANSPORTS

New molecular motors associated with microtubules and actin have been uncovered very recently. Furthermore, studies of the mechanisms of bidirectional fast axonal transports have clarified new aspects of these processes, such as identification of a kinesin binding protein (kinectin) and regulation of kinesin dissociation from membranous organelles by phosphorylation. These will lead to a more precise understanding of the mechanisms of axonal transports. Concerning the mechanism of the slow transport of cytoskeletal proteins, new approaches have provided further evidence that the axonal cytoskeleton in mammalian systems is largely stationary while dynamic exchanges occur between polymer and a small pool of moving subunits.