In neurons, the axon acts as a conduit for organized transport of materials between the cell body and the synapse, a process that is essential for the function and survival of neurons. The long distance transport in axons is powered by microtubule motors, kinesins and dyneins, that drive the cargo to the axonal termini and the cell body respectively. Interestingly, axonal cargoes are often equipped with both set of motors. How the opposing motors are coordinated during the axonal transport is a topic of great interest.  Using qautnum dots and gold nanoparticle as cargo labels, we show that mechanical tugs-of-war and intracellular motor regulation are complimentary features of the axonal transport process. We also developed a novel dark-field microscopy method that measure cargo rotation using gold nanorods, which reveal detailed motor coordination during axonal transport.

Coordination of molecular motors during axonal transport revealed by nanoparticles

252nd National Meeting (2016)

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