Quantitative Analysis of Microtubule Transport in Growing Nerve Processes

Kinesin and Dynein Move a Peroxisome in Vivo: A Tug-of-War or Coordinated Movement?

We used fluorescence imaging with one nanometer accuracy (FIONA) to analyze organelle movement by conventional kinesin and cytoplasmic dynein in a cell. We located a green fluorescence protein (GFP)-tagged peroxisome in cultured Drosophila S2 cells to within 1.5 nanometers in 1.1 milliseconds, a 400-fold improvement in temporal resolution, sufficient to determine the average step size to be approximately 8 nanometers for both dynein and kinesin. Furthermore, we found that dynein and kinesin do not work against each other in vivo during peroxisome transport. Rather, multiple kinesins or multiple dyneins work together, producing up to 10 times the in vitro speed.

Role of cytoplasmic dynein in the axonal transport of microtubules and neurofilaments

Recent studies have shown that the transport of microtubules (MTs) and neurofilaments (NFs) within the axon is rapid, infrequent, asynchronous, and bidirectional. Here, we used RNA interference to investigate the role of cytoplasmic dynein in powering these transport events. To reveal transport of MTs and NFs, we expressed EGFP-tagged tubulin or NF proteins in cultured rat sympathetic neurons and performed live-cell imaging of the fluorescent cytoskeletal elements in photobleached regions of the axon. The occurrence of anterograde MT and retrograde NF movements was significantly diminished in neurons that had been depleted of dynein heavy chain, whereas the occurrence of retrograde MT and anterograde NF movements was unaffected. These results support a cargo model for NF transport and a sliding filament model for MT transport.