Neuronal Cytoskeleton

The Neuronal Cytoskeleton, Motor Proteins, and Organelle Trafficking in the Axon, a new volume in the Methods in Cell Biology series continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. This volume covers research methods in neuronal cells, and includes sections on such topics as actin transport in axons and neurofilament transport. Covers an increasingly appreciated field in cell biology Includes both established and new technologies Contributed by experts in the field

This monograph begins with a general description of the cytoskeleton in axonal development and pathology and then moves to more detailed descriptions of particular components, including microtubules and associated proteins, neurofilaments and interacting proteins, actin and its binding proteins, and glial fibrillary acidic protein. The later chapters focus on the functional significance of the neuronal cytoskeleton in axonal transport and its regulation in health and disease states. The Cytoskeleton of the Nervous System will encourage further development of unifying principles and stimulate new conceptual and technical approaches toward a better understanding of cytoskeleton functions in health and disease.

This text examines the organization and structure of cytoskeletal proteins, their regulation and precise roles in neuronal development and function. Using a wide range of techniques including ultrastructural, biochemical and molecular biological approaches, the chapters examine such particular components as microtubule-associated proteins, microtubules and microtubule assembly, actin and related proteins and neurofilaments. Also describes the functional importance of the neuronal cytoskeleton during neuronal development and in axonal transport and neurotransmitter release. Designed to stand alone as self-contained reviews of a particular aspect of the field, the chapters amount to a comprehensive view of the neuronal cytoskeleton and its functions.

This book discusses the primary functions of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) such as MAP2 and tau in neuronal morphogenesis, as well as relationships between neuronal differentiation and the expression of neuronal intermediate filaments (nestin, alpha internexin, and neurofilament triplet proteins). It emphasizes the importance of several cytoskeletal proteins for neuronal differentiation and morphogenesis, organelle transport, and synaptic functions. The book considers the involvement of tau MAPs in the formation of paired helical filaments in Alzheimer's disease, and it examines the mechanisms of organelle transports and molecular motors such as kinesin, braindynein, and kinesin superfamily proteins. Cytoskeletal proteins involved in synaptic formation and transmitter release and new synaptic junctional-associated proteins are explored as well.

Nanoneuroscience is the study of computationally relevant biomolecules found inside neurons. Because of recent technological advances at the nanometer scale, scientists have at their disposal increasingly better ways to study the brain and the biophysics of its molecules. This book describes how biomolecules contribute to the operations of synapses and perform other computationally relevant functions inside dendrites. These biomolecular operations considerably expand the brain-computer analogy - endowing each neuron with the processing power of a silicon-based multiprocessor. Amazingly, the brain contains hundreds of billions of neurons.

The neuronal cytoskeleton is a complex structure responsive to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Defined populations of neurons in the brains of patients with Alzheimer and several other neurodegenerative diseases contain abnormal filamentous accumulations which share elements with the cytoskeleton. Although there is a general consensus that these abnormal filaments do contain cytoskeletal elements, much debate remains regarding which cytoskeletal elements are incorporated and whether the cytoskeletal rearrangement is primary or secondary to other cellular changes. In this book these questions are addressed in a historical perspect ive in light of new data that allows the reinterpretation of previously reported results. Contributions are based on many of the major tech niques of modern biology including biochemistry, molecular biology, electron microscopy and immunocytochemistry. In the view of the editor, this volume is being written at a time when our understanding of the cytopathology of Alzheimer disease is moving from predominantly descriptive to both analytical and mechanistic. I hope that this contribution will provide impetus to speed this transi tion. George Perry Cleveland, Ohio vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The support of the Fidia Pharmaceutic Corporation for the computer generated color figure on page 65 is gratefully acknowledged.