The Regulation of Axon Diameter: From Axonal Circumferential Contractility to Activity-Dependent Axon Swelling

Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
Ana Rita CostaMónica Mendes Sousa

Abstract

In the adult nervous system axon caliber varies widely amongst different tracts. When considering a given axon, its diameter can further fluctuate in space and time, according to processes including the distribution of organelles and activity-dependent mechanisms. In addition, evidence is emerging supporting that in axons circumferential tension/contractility is present. Axonal diameter is generically regarded as being regulated by neurofilaments. When neurofilaments are absent or low, microtubule-dependent mechanisms can also contribute to the regulation of axon caliber. Despite this knowledge, the fine-tune mechanisms controlling diameter and circumferential tension throughout the lifetime of an axon, remain largely elusive. Recent data supports the role of the actin-spectrin-based membrane periodic skeleton and of non-muscle myosin II in the control of axon diameter. However, the cytoskeletal arrangement that underlies circumferential axonal contraction and expansion is still to be discovered. Here, we discuss in a critical viewpoint the existing knowledge on the regulation of axon diameter, with a specific focus on the possible role played by the axonal actin cytoskeleton.

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Citations

May 6, 2020·The Journal of Cell Biology·Andreas Prokop
Sep 30, 2020·RNA Biology·Julie Qiaojin LinChristine E Holt
Jan 23, 2020·Annals of Biomedical Engineering·Hesam HoursanMohammad Taghi Ahmadian
May 28, 2019·Frontiers in Neural Circuits·Robert Turner
Dec 31, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Mariam AnderssonTim B Dyrby
Apr 2, 2020·Biophysical Journal·Maximilian A H JakobsAssaf Zemel
Apr 27, 2021·Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal·Md Ishak KhanAshfaq Adnan
Apr 20, 2021·Frontiers in Neuroscience·Punam Rawal, Liqin Zhao
Jul 24, 2021·Cerebral Cortex Communications·Rodrigo Vianna-BarbosaFernanda Tovar-Moll
Jul 7, 2021·Nature Communications·Daneck Lang-OuelletteAlanna J Watt

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
super-resolution microscopy
confocal microscopy
light

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