Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Trends Neurosci. 2010 Apr 29;33(7):335–344. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2010.03.006

Fig. 1. Retrograde axonal transport may be altered at multiple levels.

Fig. 1

Impairment of transport may arise from direct mutations in microtubule motors or their activators and adaptors; mutations in cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain have been identified in the mouse (Loa, Cra1, and Swl), and point mutations in the p150Glued subunit of dynactin have been identified in humans (G59S, G71R, G71E, G71A, T72P, and Q74P). Changes in the velocity or efficiency of retrograde transport may be induced by changes in cargo adaptors or effectors, such as Rab7/RILP or Huntingtin/HAP1, that coordinate cargo-bound motors. Transport along the axon may also be affected by changes in post-translational modifications of the microtubule track, such as changes in acetylation, tyrosination, or the complement of bound microtubule-associate proteins (MAPs). Finally, pathological changes along the axon, such as remodeling of the cellular cytoskeleton or the development of protein aggregates, may deleteriously affect retrograde axonal transport.