Contribution of cytoskeletal elements to the axonal mechanical properties

Journal of Biological Engineering

Riyi Shi²  Eric Nauman³  Hui Ouyang¹ 

[1] Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN 47907, USA;Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN 47907, USA;School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN 47907, USA

关键词: Cytoskeleton;    Atomic force microscope;    Elastic modulus;    Axon;   

Others  :  805343
DOI  :  10.1186/1754-1611-7-21

 received in 2012-12-12, accepted in 2013-08-29,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

Microtubules, microfilaments, and neurofilaments are cytoskeletal elements that affect cell morphology, cellular processes, and mechanical structures in neural cells. The objective of the current study was to investigate the contribution of each type of cytoskeletal element to the mechanical properties of axons of dorsal root and sympathetic ganglia cells in chick embryos.

Results

Microtubules, microfilaments, and neurofilaments in axons were disrupted by nocodazole, cytochalasin D, and acrylamide, respectively, or a combination of the three. An atomic force microscope (AFM) was then used to compress the treated axons, and the resulting corresponding force-deformation information was analyzed to estimate the mechanical properties of axons that were partially or fully disrupted.

Conclusion

We have found that the mechanical stiffness was most reduced in microtubules-disrupted-axons, followed by neurofilaments-disrupted- and microfilaments-disrupted-axons. This suggests that microtubules contribute the most of the mechanical stiffness to axons.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Ouyang et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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