Microtubule-based transport systems tn neurons: The roles of kinesins and dyneins

The large size and extreme polarization of neurons is crucial to their abil ity to communicate at long distances and to form the complex cellular netwo rks of the nervous system. The size, shape, and compartmentalization of the se specialized cells must be generated and supported by the cytoskeletal sy stems of intracellular transport. One of the major systems is the microtubu le-based transport system along which kinesin and dynein motor proteins gen erate force and drive the traffic of many cellular components. This review describes our current understanding of the functions of kinesins and dynein s and how these motor proteins may be harnessed to generate some of the uni que properties of neuronal cells.