Live-cell Imaging of Neurofilament Transport in Cultured Neurons

Overview

Journal Methods Cell Biol

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2016 Jan 23

PMID 26794508

Citations 9

Authors

Atsuko Uchida

Paula C Monsma

J Daniel Fenn

Anthony Brown

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Neurofilaments, which are the intermediate filaments of nerve cells, are space-filling cytoskeletal polymers that contribute to the growth of axonal caliber. In addition to their structural role, neurofilaments are cargos of axonal transport that move along microtubule tracks in a rapid, intermittent, and bidirectional manner. Though they measure just 10nm in diameter, which is well below the diffraction limit of optical microscopes, these polymers can reach 100 μm or more in length and are often packed densely, just tens of nanometers apart. These properties of neurofilaments present unique challenges for studies on their movement. In this article, we describe several live-cell fluorescence imaging strategies that we have developed to image neurofilament transport in axons of cultured neurons on short and long timescales. Together, these methods form a powerful set of complementary tools with which to study the axonal transport of these unique intracellular cargos.

Citing Articles

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