Abstract
It has long been known that microtubule depletion causes axons to retract in a microfilament-dependent manner, although it was not known whether these effects are the result of motor-generated forces on these cytoskeletal elements. Here we show that inhibition of the motor activity of cytoplasmic dynein causes the axon to retract in the presence of microtubules. This response is obliterated if microfilaments are depleted or if myosin motors are inhibited. We conclude that axonal retraction results from myosin-mediated forces on the microfilament array, and that these forces are counterbalanced or attenuated by dynein-mediated forces between the microfilament and microtubule arrays.
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Acknowledgements
We thank C. Warren for help in preparing NEM-S1, and A. Brown and E. Dent for comments on the manuscript. This work was supported by grants from the US National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation.
Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to P.W.B.
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Ahmad, F., Hughey, J., Wittmann, T. et al. Motor proteins regulate force interactions between microtubules and microfilaments in the axon. Nat Cell Biol 2, 276–280 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35010544
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35010544
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