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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Characterizing the Composition of Molecular Motors on Moving Axonal Cargo Using "Cargo Mapping" Analysis
Published on: October 30, 2014
Intracellular organelle transport: few motors, many signals
Anna Kashina1, Vladimir Rodionov
1Department of Animal Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3800 Spruce Street, 143 Rosenthal, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Abstract:
Bidirectional microtubule-dependent organelle transport in melanophores is regulated by cAMP through organelle-bound protein kinase A (PKA); however, the mechanisms responsible for this regulation are unknown. A recent study by Gelfand and colleagues demonstrates that, in addition to PKA, transport is regulated by the organelle-bound mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling components ERK and MEK, whose activity is required for bidirectional transport along microtubules. This pathway apparently acts downstream of PKA, suggesting that bidirectional organelle transport is regulated by a hierarchical cascade of signaling pathways.
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