There and back again: coordinated transcription, translation and transport in axonal survival and regeneration

• Cues in the axonal microenvironment induce local and global changes in neurons.
• Bidirectional transport enables coordination of local and global changes.
• Some transcription factors are translated in the axon and transported to the soma.
• mRNAs are transported to and locally translated at axons for survival and growth.
• Individual RBPs coordinate multiple steps of mRNA transport and regulation.

Neurons are highly polarized cells with axonal and dendritic projections that extend over long distances. Target-derived neurotrophins provide local axonal cues that function in developing neurons, while physical or chemical injuries to long axons initiate local environmental cues in mature neurons. In both instances initial responses at the location of stimulation or injury must be coordinated with changes in the transcriptional program and subsequent changes in axonal protein content. To achieve this coordination, intracellular signals move ‘there and back again’ between axons and the nucleus. Here, we review new findings on neuronal responses to growth factors and injury and highlight the coordination of transcription, translation and transport required to mediate communication between axons and cell bodies.