Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Diffusional transport of macromolecules in developing nerve processes.

S Popov1, M M Poo

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|January 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Preoperative parathyroid hormone level as a predictor of parathyroid adenoma size in surgically treated patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.

Rozhledy v chirurgii : mesicnik Ceskoslovenske chirurgicke spolecnosti·2026
Same author

Measurement of the Prompt D^{0} Nuclear Modification Factor in p-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=8.16  TeV.

Physical review letters·2023
Same author

Measurement of the Branching Fractions B(B^{0}→pp[over ¯]pp[over ¯]) and B(B_{s}^{0}→pp[over ¯]pp[over ¯]).

Physical review letters·2023
Same author

Measurement of the Time-Integrated CP Asymmetry in D^{0}→K^{-}K^{+} Decays.

Physical review letters·2023
Same author

Observation of a Resonant Structure near the D_{s}^{+}D_{s}^{-} Threshold in the B^{+}→D_{s}^{+}D_{s}^{-}K^{+} Decay.

Physical review letters·2023
Same author

Evidence for Modification of b Quark Hadronization in High-Multiplicity pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV.

Physical review letters·2023
Same journal

Vestibular function drives gaze stability in locomoting macaques.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Region- and layer-specific glutamatergic synapse development in the nascent cortical hierarchy.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Endogenous peptide derived from c-Cbl-associated protein counteracts its inhibitory effect on enteric neural crest cell colonization in Hirschsprung disease.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Drowsiness alters the neural dynamics but not the core computations of multisensory integration.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

A Matter of Parameters: Tailored Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Enhances Cortico-Thalamo-Cortical Circuit Resonance.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Proactive visual and motor prioritization differentially scale with cue reliability.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
See all related articles

Neuron cytoplasm restricts large molecule diffusion, unlike smaller ones. Microfilament disruption enhances transport of larger molecules, suggesting a selective barrier within nerve processes.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Understanding macromolecule transport is crucial for neuronal development and function.
  • Previous studies suggested limited diffusion in non-neuronal cells, but neuronal transport remains less quantified.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantitatively analyze passive macromolecule transport via diffusion in growing nerve processes.
  • To investigate the influence of molecular size and the neuronal cytoskeleton on diffusion rates.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative analysis of fluorescently labeled molecule diffusion in cultured Xenopus neurons.
  • Measurement of diffusion coefficients for various molecular weights (dextrans, globular proteins).
  • Assessment of microfilament disruption effects using cytochalasin B and dephospho-synapsin I.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Diffusion of globular proteins in neurites was significantly slower than in aqueous solution but faster than in non-neuronal cells.
  • Diffusion coefficient showed size-dependent deviation from viscous medium predictions, indicating higher resistance for larger molecules.
  • Disruption of microfilaments increased diffusion rates for large dextrans but not small ones.

Conclusions:

  • The neuronal microfilament network acts as a selective barrier, constraining the diffusion of larger macromolecules.
  • Diffusion is a viable transport mechanism in nerve processes, with its efficiency modulated by molecular size and cytoskeletal interactions.