First published online as a Review in Advance on April 2, 2008Role of Axonal Transport in Neurodegenerative Diseases
*Kurt J. De Vos,1 Andrew J. Grierson,2 Steven Ackerley,1 and Christopher C.J. Miller11MRC Center for Neurodegeneration Research, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom; email:
Kurt.DeVos@iop.kcl.ac.uk,
chris.miller@iop.kcl.ac.uk 2Academic Unit of Neurology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2RX, United Kingdom; email:
A.J.Grierson@sheffield.ac.uk Many major human neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), display axonal pathologies including abnormal accumulations of proteins and organelles. Such pathologies highlight damage to the axon as part of the pathogenic process and, in particular, damage to transport of cargoes through axons. Indeed, we now know that disruption of axonal transport is an early and perhaps causative event in many of these diseases. Here, we review the role of axonal transport in neurodegenerative disease.
Acronyms and Definitions
Anterograde axonal transport: movement of cargoes toward the synapse
APP: amyloid precursor protein
Axonal transport: the movement of protein and organelle cargoes through axons
JNKs: c-Jun-N-terminal kinases
KHC: kinesin heavy chain
KLC: kinesin light chain
MND: motor neuron disease
Retrograde axonal transport: movement of cargoes toward the cell body
Secretases: enzymes that cleave APP
SOD1: Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase-1
γ-secretase: cleaves APP at the C-terminus of the Aβ sequence. It comprises at least four proteins (presenilin-1/2, Aph1, Pen2, and Nicastrin).