Stretch-induced recruitment of myosin into transversal actin rings stabilises axonal large cargo transport

Abstract

We study the axonal transport of large cargo vesicles and its feedback with contractile transversal actomyosin rings in axons through modelling and simulation. To this end, we simulate a mathematical model that integrates forces generated by the molecular motors and forces exerted by transversal actin rings. Our results predict that cargo vesicles exhibit bidirectional movement along with pauses in agreement with observations. It has been observed that during predominantly retrograde axonal cargo transport, blebbistatin treatment prolongs the periods spent by the cargo in anterograde transport. Our simulations show that this can be explained by mechanotransductive stretch-induced recruitment of myosin motors into transversal actin rings. These findings offer valuable insights into the complex dynamics of axonal cargo transport and propose potential avenues for further experimental research.