Xefiltin, aXenopus laevis neuronal intermediate filament protein, is expressed in actively growing optic axons during development and regeneration
✍ Scribed by Zhao, Yangu ;Szaro, Ben G.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 554 KB
- Volume
- 33
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-3034
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✦ Synopsis
Neurofilaments are an important used immunocytochemistry to study the distribution structural component of the axonal cytoskeleton and of xefiltin during optic nerve development and regenare made of neuronal intermediate filament (nIF) eration. During development, xefiltin was found in opproteins. During axonal development, neurofilaments tic axons at stage 35/36, before they reach the tectum undergo progressive changes in molecular composiat stage 37/38. Similarly, after an orbital crush injury, tion. In mammals, for example, highly phosphorylated xefiltin first reemerged in optic axons after the front forms of the middle-and high-molecular-weight neuof regeneration reached the optic chiasm, but before rofilament proteins (NF-M and NF-H, respectively) it reached the tectum. Thus, during both development are characteristic of mature axons, whereas nIF proand regeneration, xefiltin was present within actively teins such as a-internexin are typical of young axons. growing optic axons. In addition, aberrantly project-Such changes have been proposed to help growing ing retinoretinal axons expressed less xefiltin than axons accommodate varying demands for plasticity those entering the optic tract, suggesting that xefiltin and stability by modulating the structure of the axonal expression is influenced by interactions between recytoskeleton. Xefiltin is a recently discovered nIF progenerating axons and cells encountered along the vitein of the frog Xenopus laevis, whose nervous system sual pathway. These results support the idea that has a large capacity for regeneration and plasticity. changes in xefiltin expression, along with those of By amino acid identity, xefiltin is closely related to other nIF proteins, modulate the structure and stabiltwo other nIF proteins, a-internexin and gefiltin. aity of actively growing optic axons and that this stabil-Internexin is found principally in embryonic axons of ity is under the control of the pathway which growing the mammalian brain, and gefiltin is expressed priaxons follow.