An aster of microtubules is a set of flexible polar filaments with dynamic plus ends that irradiate from a common location at which the minus ends of the filaments are found. Processive soluble oligomeric motor complexes can...
Myelination allows for the regulation of conduction velocity, affecting the precise timing of neuronal inputs important for the development and function of brain circuits. In turn, myelination may be altered by changes in...
Understanding the molecular mechanisms that promote successful tissue regeneration is critical for continued advancements in regenerative medicine. Vertebrate amphibian tadpoles of the species Xenopus laevis and Xenopus...
BACKGROUND: The neural crest is a unique population of cells that arise in the vertebrate ectoderm at the neural plate border after which they migrate extensively throughout the embryo, giving rise to a wide range of...
The metaphase spindle is a dynamic bipolar structure crucial for proper chromosome segregation, but how microtubules (MTs) are organized within the bipolar architecture remains controversial. To explore MT organization along the...
The Xenopus extract system has been used extensively as a simple, quick, and robust method for assessing the stability of proteins against proteasomal degradation. In this protocol, methods are provided for assessing the...
Local translation regulates the axonal proteome, playing an important role in neuronal wiring and axon maintenance. How axonal mRNAs are localized to specific subcellular sites for translation, however, is not understood. Here...
During embryonic nervous system assembly, mRNA localization is precisely regulated in growing axons, affording subcellular autonomy by allowing controlled protein expression in space and time. Different sets of mRNAs exhibit...
Xenopus extract systems have been used to study ubiquitylation of proteins, and to uncover some of the fundamental processes of the ubiquitylation pathway itself. They provide a simple, quick, and robust method for studying...
Local translation is rapidly regulated by extrinsic signals during neural wiring, but its control mechanisms remain elusive. Here we show that the extracellular cue Sema3A induces an initial burst in local translation that...