spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ferhat, L.
Right arrow Articles by Represa, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ferhat, L.
Right arrow Articles by Represa, A.
Journal of Cell Science 114, 3899-3904 (2001)
© 2001 The Company of Biologists Limited

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Process formation results from the imbalance between motor-mediated forces

Lotfi Ferhat*, Guillaume Rami, Igor Medina, Yehezkel Ben-Ari and Alfonso Represa

INMED/INSERM U29, 163 rue de Luminy, BP 13, 13273 Marseille Cedex 09, France

*Author for correspondence (e-mail: ferhat{at}inmed.univ-mrs)

Accepted July 26, 2001

Several reports have suggested that neurite outgrowth is mediated by opposing forces generated on microtubules and microfilaments but the molecular basis underlying these forces have not been determined. Here, we show that in non-neuronal cell lines, the inhibition of actomyosin activity by acidic calponin promotes the formation of processes. This effect is blocked by inhibition of the motor activity of cytoplasmic dynein. Therefore, neurite formation is due to an imbalance between tensile and compressive forces mediated by myosins and dyneins, respectively. We propose a mechanism that involves the motor-mediated forces in a tight regulation of the process formation.

Key words: Microtubule, Microfilament, Motor proteins, Acidic calponin, Dynamitin




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Biol. Chem.Home page
M. M. Hossain, J. F. Crish, R. L. Eckert, J. J.-C. Lin, and J.-P. Jin
h2-calponin Is Regulated by Mechanical Tension and Modifies the Function of Actin Cytoskeleton
J. Biol. Chem., December 23, 2005; 280(51): 42442 - 42453.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Cell Sci.Home page
G. Burgstaller, W. J. Kranewitter, and M. Gimona
The molecular basis for the autoregulation of calponin by isoform-specific C-terminal tail sequences
J. Cell Sci., May 15, 2002; 115(10): 2021 - 2029.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2001