Abstract
How timely transport of chemical signals between the distal end of long axonal processes and the cell bodies of neurons occurs is an interesting and unresolved issue. Recently, Perlson et al. presented evidence that cleavage products of newly synthesized vimentin, an intermediate filament (IF) protein, interact with mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases at sites of axon injury. These IF fragments appear to be required for the transport of these kinases to the cell body along microtubule tracks. The truncated vimentin is instrumental in signal propagation as it provides a scaffold that brings together activated MAP kinases (such as Erk 1 and Erk2), as well as importin β and cytoplasmic dynein. The authors propose that this all-in-one transport complex has the extraordinary ability to travel towards the cell body and enter the nucleus where the kinases activate and influence gene expression so that a neuron can generate a timely response to injury.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 568-570 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Trends in Cell Biology |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2005 |
Funding
This work was supported by grants from the NIH to B.T.H. (F30 AA13470–05) and to R.D.G. (NIH-NIGMS GM36806).
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cell Biology