RGD Reference Report - Two distinct functions of the carboxyl-terminal tail domain of NF-M upon neurofilament assembly: cross-bridge formation and longitudinal elongation of filaments. - Rat Genome Database

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Two distinct functions of the carboxyl-terminal tail domain of NF-M upon neurofilament assembly: cross-bridge formation and longitudinal elongation of filaments.

Authors: Nakagawa, T  Chen, J  Zhang, Z  Kanai, Y  Hirokawa, N 
Citation: Nakagawa T, etal., J Cell Biol. 1995 Apr;129(2):411-29.
RGD ID: 9743935
Pubmed: PMID:7721944   (View Abstract at PubMed)
PMCID: PMC2199923   (View Article at PubMed Central)

Neurofilaments are the major cytoskeletal elements in the axon that take highly ordered structures composed of parallel arrays of 10-nm filaments linked to each other with frequent cross-bridges, and they are believed to maintain a highly polarized neuronal cell shape. Here we report the function of rat NF-M in this characteristic neurofilament assembly. Transfection experiments were done in an insect Sf9 cell line lacking endogenous intermediate filaments. NF-L and NF-M coassemble to form bundles of 10-nm filaments packed in a parallel manner with frequent cross-bridges resembling the neurofilament domains in the axon when expressed together in Sf9 cells. Considering the fact that the expression of either NF-L or NF-M alone in these cells results in neither formation of any ordered network of 10-nm filaments nor cross-bridge structures, NF-M plays a crucial role in this parallel filament assembly. In the case of NF-H the carboxyl-tail domain has been shown to constitute the cross-bridge structures. The similarity in molecular architecture between NF-M and NF-H suggests that the carboxyl-terminal tail domain of NF-M also constitutes cross-bridges. To examine this and to further investigate the function of the carboxyl-terminal tail domain of NF-M, we made various deletion mutants that lacked part of their tail domains, and we expressed these with NF-L. From this deletion mutant analysis, we conclude that the carboxyl-terminal tail domain of NF-M has two distinct functions. First, it is the structural component of cross-bridges, and these cross-bridges serve to control the spacing between core filaments. Second, the portion of the carboxyl-terminal tail domain of NF-M that is directly involved in cross-bridge formation affects the core filament assembly by helping them to elongate longitudinally so that they become straight.



Gene Ontology Annotations    Click to see Annotation Detail View

Biological Process

  
Object SymbolSpeciesTermQualifierEvidenceWithNotesSourceOriginal Reference(s)
NeflRatneurofilament bundle assembly  IDA  RGD 
NefmRatneurofilament bundle assembly  IDA  RGD 

Cellular Component

  
Object SymbolSpeciesTermQualifierEvidenceWithNotesSourceOriginal Reference(s)
NeflRatneurofilament  IDA  RGD 
NefmRatneurofilament  IDA  RGD 

Objects Annotated

Genes (Rattus norvegicus)
Nefl  (neurofilament light chain)
Nefm  (neurofilament medium chain)


Additional Information