Microtubule dynamics in healthy and injured neurons

Melissa M. Rolls, Pankajam Thyagarajan, Chengye Feng

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Most neurons must last a lifetime and their microtubule cytoskeleton is an important contributor to their longevity. Neurons have some of the most stable microtubules of all cells, but the tip of every microtubule remains dynamic and, although requiring constant GTP consumption, microtubules are always being rebuilt. While some ongoing level of rebuilding always occurs, overall microtubule stability can be modulated in response to injury and stress as well as the normal developmental process of pruning. Specific microtubule severing proteins act in different contexts to increase microtubule dynamicity and promote degeneration and pruning. After axon injury, complex changes in dynamics occur and these are important for both neuroprotection induced by injury and subsequent outgrowth of a new axon. Understanding how microtubule dynamics is modulated in different scenarios, as well as the impact of the changes in stability, is an important avenue to explore for development of strategies to promote neuroprotection and regeneration.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)321-332
Number of pages12
JournalDevelopmental Neurobiology
Volume81
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2021

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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