Topic: neuronal microtubule array

Microtubules play a crucial role in dendritic and axonal physiology through acting as railroad tracks on which numerous factors are transported. More than one hundred microtubules in a neurite form a large array that changes in composition during the development of dendrites and the axon. Throughout development, this large array was long thought to act as the stationary backbone of neurons. In contrast, we recently made the surprising discovery that the microtubule array in fact constantly moves towards the soma as a whole. This microtubule retrograde flow (MT-RF) destabilizes neurite growth.