Cell biology of the neuron: Fuelling transport.

摘要

Glycolysis, which largely occurs in the cytosol, generates a small proportion of cellular ATP compared with mitochondrial ATP production. In neurons, however, mitochondria are unevenly distributed along axons, leading to the question of how neurons maintain a constant energy supply in axons for fast axonal transport (FAT), a process whereby cargo-carrying molecular motors hydrolyse ATP to 'walk' along microtubules. Now, Saudou and colleagues show that the ATP needed for the FAT of vesicular cargoes may be generated by glycolytic machinery located on the vesicles themselves.