Effects of taxol on slow and fast axonal transport

Abstract

Axonal transport of tubulin in the rat sciatic nerve is almost completely inhibited by a single subepineural injection of taxol, without affecting that of neurofilament proteins. Actin and a large number of polypeptides cotransported with actin as minor components are also blocked by taxol, although to a lesser extent. Fast axonal transport is essentially free from the inhibitory effect of this drug. Although previous models have suggested that slow axonal transport involves the bulk movement of cytoskeletal structures, these results suggest that such transport may involve an equilibrium between polymerised and depolymerised forms of the axonal cytoskeleton.