At the same time, there has been a dramatic expansion in the identification of molecules that may cause diseases of the nervous system.
The past decade has seen an explosion in our knowledge of molecules involved in axonal transport. Recent findings implicate many such axonal cargoes in disease processes and suggest the existence of interplay between axonal transport, damage signaling, synaptic plasticity, and diseases of the nervous system. Whereas some of these cargoes reside in axons where they play structural and other roles, other cargoes participate in a variety of neuronal activities such as synaptic plasticity and neurotransmission. Finally, protein complexes including proteins controlling cytoplasmic signaling, structure, and degradation are also actively transported within axons. In addition, defined organelles such as endosomes and mitochondria are continuously transported within axons. Such cargoes include vesicles containing synaptic proteins, growth factors, signaling molecules, and ion channels. Effective communication between the cell bodies and presynaptic terminals of neurons requires reliable and timely movement of essential neuronal “cargoes” to their final destinations.
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