Abstract
The retrograde transport of endosomes within axons proceeds with remarkable uniformity despite having to navigate a discontinuous microtubule network. The mechanisms through which this navigation is achieved remain elusive. In this report, we demonstrate that access of SxIP motif proteins, such as BPAG1n4, to the microtubule plus end is important for the maintenance of processive and sustained retrograde transport along the axon. Disruption of this interaction at the microtubule plus end significantly increases endosome stalling. Our study thus provides strong insight into the role of plus-end-binding proteins in the processive navigation of cargo within the axon.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank W. J. Nelson for sharing constructs and S. A. Leal-Ortiz and C. C. Garner for assistance with lentivirus production. This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH R01), March of Dimes foundation, and Stanford Graduate fellowship (M.K.).
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M. Kapur, M. T. Maloney contributed equally.
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Kapur, M., Maloney, M.T., Wang, W. et al. A SxIP motif interaction at the microtubule plus end is important for processive retrograde axonal transport. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 71, 4043–4054 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-014-1611-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-014-1611-6