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.
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April 15 1995
Two distinct functions of the carboxyl-terminal tail domain of NF-M upon neurofilament assembly: cross-bridge formation and longitudinal elongation of filaments.
T Nakagawa,
T Nakagawa
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
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J Chen,
J Chen
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
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Z Zhang,
Z Zhang
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
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Y Kanai,
Y Kanai
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
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N Hirokawa
N Hirokawa
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
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T Nakagawa
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
J Chen
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
Z Zhang
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
Y Kanai
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
N Hirokawa
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
Online ISSN: 1540-8140
Print ISSN: 0021-9525
J Cell Biol (1995) 129 (2): 411–429.
Citation
T Nakagawa, J Chen, Z Zhang, Y Kanai, N Hirokawa; Two distinct functions of the carboxyl-terminal tail domain of NF-M upon neurofilament assembly: cross-bridge formation and longitudinal elongation of filaments.. J Cell Biol 15 April 1995; 129 (2): 411–429. doi: https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.129.2.411
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