Editorial: Pathways and Processes Underpinning Axonal Biology and Pathobiology

[...]local translation of readily-available transcripts provides an important mechanism to overcome distance constraints and allow proteome modification (Dalla Costa et al., 2021). [...]transport and translation are intricately linked through a process called “hitchhiking,” whereby mRNAs are co-transported with organelles through tethering of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) for on-demand axonal translation (Vargas et al., 2022). NGF stimulated PI3K-Akt activity preferentially at sites populated with axonal mitochondria. [...]this initial activation was oxidative phosphorylation-dependent, but not glycolysis-dependent, differing from longer-term observations, suggesting temporal distinctions in bioenergetic requirements of neurotrophin signaling. Sarm1 disruption increased axonal branching in skin and cultured sensory neurons. [...]through live imaging, Sarm1−/− axons were shown to display altered cytoskeletal dynamics, decreased axonal mitochondrial motility, and increased actin-patch formation leading to enhanced filopodia establishment.