Transport along axons and dendrites ranges from the fast movement of vesicles (50–500 mm day−1), which can be observed directly by light microscopy, to the slow progress of cytoskeletal proteins. The latter, which has been followed only by using radiolabelled proteins (reviewed by Lasek et al. 1985), occurs at 0·2–8·0 mm day−1, but this is still faster than diffusion. The differential speeds of various components exclude cytoplasmic streaming models; instead, it is thought that transport is effected by molecular motors generating force between specific components of the axoplasm. Recent work has illuminated several aspects of these processes, with implications for transport in less specialized cells.
© 1987 by Company of Biologists
1987
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