Effect of protein degradation in the axon on the speed of the bell-shaped concentration wave in slow axonal transport

This paper investigates the effect of degradation of proteins transported by means of slow axonal transport (due to enzyme-mediated breakdown of proteins) on the speed of the bell-shaped wave of protein concentration propagating toward the synapse of the axon. Another issue investigated in this paper is the effect of protein degradation on the traffic jam caused by a decay of microtubule tracks at a certain location in the axon. The decay of microtubule tracks may be caused by misregulation of microtubule-associated proteins resulting from an imbalance in intracellular signaling or by mutations of these proteins. Axonal swellings caused by such traffic jams hinder axonal transport; they are a likely cause of various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and the Down syndrome.