Myosin VI Plays Vital Role in Enrichment of Proteins on Axonal Surface

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from the University of California have discovered that Myosin VI, a minus-end-directed motor, plays a crucial role in the enrichment of proteins on the surface of axons. This finding reveals a new mechanism by which neurons are able to shape their form and function, and has significant implications for our understanding of neural development and disease.

Key Takeaways:

  • Myosin VI, a minus-end-directed motor, is essential for targeting proteins to the axonal surface, where they play a vital role in shaping neural form and function.
  • The researchers engineered non-neuronal proteins to interact with Myosin VI, resulting in their concentration at the axonal surface in dissociated rat cortical neurons.
  • Disruption of Myosin VI function or expression leads to aberrant dendritic localization of axonal proteins, highlighting the importance of Myosin VI in maintaining correct protein localization.
  • Myosin VI mediates the enrichment of proteins on the axonal surface, at least in part, by stimulating dendrite-specific endocytosis.
  • The researchers developed a version of Channelrhodopsin 2 that is concentrated at the surface of the axon of cortical neurons in mice in vivo, providing a useful tool for probing circuit structure and function.

Statistics:

  • 9(3):1021 - the volume and issue number of the journal Plos Biology where the results were published.
  • 2011 - the year in which the research was published.
  • Los Angeles, CA 90089 - the zip code of the University of California, Dept. of Biology Science.
  • 185 Berry St., Ste. 1300, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA - the address of the Public Library Science, publisher of Plos Biology.
  • 2 - the number of years that Myosin motors have been shown to play a critical role in neural development.
  • See also Peptides and Proteins - the title of another article that discusses related research.

Sources:

  • Lewis, T.L., et al. (2011). A Role for Myosin VI in the Localization of Axonal Proteins. Plos Biology, 9(3), 1021.
  • Peptides and Proteins.