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Published online January 29, 2007
doi:10.1083/jcb.200611117
The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol. 176, No. 3, 269-275
The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525 $30.00
© 2007 Hammarlund et al.
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Axons break in animals lacking ß-spectrin



Marc Hammarlund1,2, Erik M. Jorgensen1,2, and Michael J. Bastiani1

1 Department of Biology and 2 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Correspondence to Erik M. Jorgensen: Jorgensen{at}biology.utah.edu

Axons and dendrites can withstand acute mechanical strain despite their small diameter. In this study, we demonstrate that ß-spectrin is required for the physical integrity of neuronal processes in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Axons in ß-spectrin mutants spontaneously break. Breakage is caused by acute strain generated by movement because breakage can be prevented by paralyzing the mutant animals. After breaking, the neuron attempts to regenerate by initiating a new growth cone; this second round of axon extension is error prone compared with initial outgrowth. Because spectrin is a major target of calpain proteolysis, it is possible that some neurodegenerative disorders may involve the cleavage of spectrin followed by the breakage of neural processes.

Abbreviation used in this paper: GABA, {gamma}-aminobutyric acid.


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