Zebrafish atlastin controls motility and spinal motor axon architecture via inhibition of the BMP pathway

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is manifested as motor dysfunction stemming from axonal degeneration. Of the known 19 spastic paraplegia genes (SPGs), SPG3a encodes a multimeric integral membrane protein Atlastin. Here, the authors use zebrafish system to demonstrate the interplay between Atlastin and bone morphogenic protein signaling in motor axon development and stability.