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REVERSAL OF AXONAL TRANSPORT AT A NERVE CRUSH 1
Author(s) -
Bisby M. A.,
Bulger V. T.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1977.tb09624.x
Subject(s) - axoplasmic transport , chromatolysis , axon , sciatic nerve , cell bodies , anatomy , neuron , axoplasm , biology , chemistry , neuroscience , central nervous system , spinal cord
— —We have compared retrograde axonal transport of 3 H‐labeled protein in normal rat motor and sensory axons, and axons which were injured by a distal ligation of the sciatic nerve. After injection of L‐[ 3 H]leucine into the vicinity of the neuron cell bodies, labeled protein was transported into the axons. A premature return of protein towards the cell bodies occurred in the injured axons, which we interpret as a reversal of axonal transport occurring at the site of injury. We estimate that reversal of transport occurred within 1.9–2.4 h of the arrival of labeled protein at the injury, and that the minimum velocity of the subsequent retrograde transport was 112–133 mm day −1 . The ability of the injured axons to reverse transport developed about 0.8 h after making the injury. A large fraction of the orthograde transported protein was returned towards the cell body: it is estimated that by 28 h after labeled protein in sensory axons reached the injury, 46% of the 3 H‐labeled protein originally transported to the injury site had been returned. In intact sensory nerves at this time only 15% of the transported protein had returned. It is suggested that axonal injury produces a sudden increase in the return of newly synthesized protein to the cell body, and that this might serve as a signal for chromatolysis.