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Cytoskeleton of the Nervous System pp 249–260Cite as

Neurofilament Transport

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Part of the book series: Advances in Neurobiology ((NEUROBIOL,volume 3))

Abstract

Neurofilaments are the most plentiful intermediate filament proteins found in neuronal cells. They are important cytoskeletal proteins that are made in the soma and transported into axonal and dendritic processes. Neurofilaments are transported by the process of slow axonal transport, which arises from fast transport interrupted by extended pauses. Some of the mechanisms regulating neurofilament assembly and transport have been identified. It is thought that phosphorylation decreases the rate of neurofilament transport by increasing the time neurofilaments spend pausing. There is also increasing evidence for the involvement of neurofilaments in a number of neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, hereditary spastic paraplegia, Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Disrupted neurofilament transport is thought to be a common mechanism in some or all of these disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2RX, UK

    Andrew J. Grierson

  2. Department of Neuroscience, King’s College London, The Institute of Psychiatry, MRC Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, London, SE5 8AF, UK

    Christopher C.J. Miller

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Correspondence to Andrew J. Grierson .

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  1. Psychiatric Research, Nathan S. Kline Institute for, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, 10962, New York, USA

    Ralph A. Nixon

  2. Psychiatric Research, Nathan S. Kline Institute for, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, 10962, New York, USA

    Aidong Yuan

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Grierson, A.J., Miller, C.C. (2011). Neurofilament Transport. In: Nixon, R., Yuan, A. (eds) Cytoskeleton of the Nervous System. Advances in Neurobiology, vol 3. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6787-9_11

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