Article
Neurosciences
Amrita Mandal, Hiu-Tung C. Wong, Katherine Pinter, Natalie Mosqueda, Alisha Beirl, Richa Madan Lomash, Sehoon Won, Katie S. Kindt, Catherine M. Drerup
Summary: Research shows that retrograde mitochondrial transport plays a crucial role in maintaining the homeostatic distribution of mitochondria in neurons, and disrupting this process can lead to accumulation of aged organelles in axon terminals and loss of mitochondria in the cell body.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valerie Siahaan, Ruensern Tan, Tereza Humhalova, Lenka Libusova, Samuel E. Lacey, Tracy Tan, Mariah Dacy, Kassandra M. Ori-McKenney, Richard J. McKenney, Marcus Braun, Zdenek Lansky
Summary: Tau and MAP2 can form envelopes on microtubules by altering lattice spacing, providing a molecular basis for spatial regulation of microtubule-based processes. Envelopes can affect the activity of other MAPs and motor proteins on microtubules.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giulia Villari, Noemi Gioelli, Donatella Valdembri, Guido Serini
Summary: Cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a crucial role in the development, functioning, and repair of metazoans. Disruption of this adhesion can lead to various diseases. Integrins, as major ECM receptors, are involved in the transportation and positioning process of the plasma membrane. Microtubules and associated motors play a key role in driving vesicular transport and maintaining the asymmetric adhesion between cells and ECM, influencing the establishment of cell polarity.
Review
Biology
Iman Hassan Ibrahim, Amany Balah, Abrar Gomaa Abd Elfattah Hassan, Heba Gamal Abd El-Aziz
Summary: Motor proteins, including Kinesin, Dynein, and Myosin, play crucial roles in cell proliferation and invasion in cancer. Copy number alterations (CNAs) in these motor protein families are significantly correlated with decreased overall survival in cancer patients. Inhibitors targeting these motor proteins have the potential to improve cancer therapy by inhibiting cell proliferation and invasion.
SAUDI JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Wouter Mul, Aniruddha Mitra, Erwin J. G. Peterman
Summary: In this review, the authors explore the regulation of intraflagellar transport (IFT) in cilia from three different perspectives: the motor track, motor proteins, and kinases. By discussing these factors, the authors provide mechanistic insights into IFT regulation in cilia and suggest directions for future research.
Article
Cell Biology
Rongde Qiu, Jun Zhang, Xin Xiang
Summary: The autoinhibition of kinesin-1 plays an important role in dynein-mediated early endosome transport, but does not affect dynein accumulation or kinesin-1-mediated vesicle transport.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Marlieke L. M. Jongsma, Nina Bakker, Jacques Neefjes
Summary: The endosomal system coordinates the transport of substances within cells, and its motion is regulated by microtubule-based motor proteins. These interactions determine the mobility of the endosomes.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adam R. Fenton, Thomas A. Jongens, Erika L. F. Holzbaur
Summary: Mitochondria are transported along microtubules by opposing kinesin and dynein motors, linked by TRAK adaptor proteins. TRAK2 activates kinesin-1 for transport toward the plus-end of microtubules and acts as a dynein activating adaptor for transport toward the minus-end. At a sufficient level, the dynein-binding protein LIS1 is necessary for efficient dynein-mediated TRAK2 transport. TRAK2 forms a complex containing both kinesin-1 and dynein-dynactin, functionally linking these motors and coordinating their activities for proper mitochondrial transport.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lucia Cassella, Anne Ephrussi
Summary: In this study, the authors use spatial transcriptomics to identify localized RNAs in the Drosophila follicular epithelium and analyze the mechanisms underlying their localization. They find that apical RNA localization is mediated by the dynein/BicD/Egl machinery, while basally-targeted RNAs require kinesin-1. They also discover a non-canonical, translation- and dynein-dependent mechanism for the apical localization of a subgroup of dynein-activating adaptor-encoding RNAs.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Saumya Yadav, Ambarish Kunwar
Summary: Researchers have investigated the transport properties and temperature-dependent biophysical properties of molecular motor proteins through single-molecule experiments. They have also studied the biochemical properties of these motors to understand their implications on enzymatic activity.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Anusruti Sabui, Mitali Biswas, Pramod Rajaram Somvanshi, Preethi Kandagiri, Madhavi Gorla, Fareed Mohammed, Prasad Tammineni
Summary: Mitochondrial transport and distribution are altered in tauopathy neurons, with reduced anterograde transport and unchanged retrograde transport. The decrease in kinesin-mediated transport and the increase in dynein activity might contribute to the reduced axonal mitochondria in tauopathy neurons, thereby contributing to synaptic deficits in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
M. W. Gramlich, S. Balseiro-Gomez, S. M. Ali Tabei, M. Parkes, S. Yogev
Summary: Axonal motor driven cargo uses the microtubule cytoskeleton to transport cargo up to microns in distance, but finite microtubule lengths can lead to pauses and require vesicles to navigate to neighboring microtubules. Vesicle pause times are determined by the detachment and re-attachment time from the current microtubule to a neighboring one, and differ for anterograde and retrograde motion. Vesicles are unlikely to use a tug-of-war mechanism to change direction at microtubule ends.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Alexsia Richards, Sarah H. Berth, Scott Brady, Gerardo Morfini
Summary: This article reviews the knowledge of strategies used by neurotropic viruses to undergo bidirectional movement along axons, and discusses how viral invasion strategies may influence their interaction with the host's fast axonal transport mechanism. The activation of host kinases by neurotropic viruses and regulation of fast axonal transport through phosphorylation-based mechanisms play a potential role in viral engagement. Neurotoxicity elicited by viral infection may involve deregulation of host kinases involved in the regulation of fast axonal transport and other cellular processes sustaining neuronal function and survival.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biophysics
Tzu-Chen Ma, Allison M. Gicking, Qingzhou Feng, William O. Hancock
Summary: This study used a stochastic stepping model to investigate the cooperation and competition of kinesin and dynein motors at the cellular level. The results showed that motor detachment events and reattachment rates have an impact on the speed and dynamics of bidirectional transport. These findings provide important hypotheses for future experiments.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Ghada M. H. Abdel-Salam, Marian Girgis, Maha M. Eid, Inas S. M. Sayed, Mohamed S. Abdel-Hamid
Summary: Developmental brain malformations, including lissencephaly and cerebellar hypoplasia, were observed in a 2-year old boy with BICD2-related disorder. A homozygous likely pathogenic variant in the BICD2 gene was identified through whole-exome sequencing. This report highlights the importance of considering BICD2 in the differential diagnosis for patients with lissencephaly and cerebellar hypoplasia.
JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
J. Bradley Zuchero, Meng-meng Fu, Steven A. Sloan, Adiljan Ibrahim, Andrew Olson, Anita Zaremba, Jason C. Dugas, Sophia Wienbar, Andrew V. Caprariello, Christopher Kantor, Dmitri Leonoudakus, Karen Lariosa-Willingham, Golo Kronenberg, Karen Gertz, Scott H. Soderling, Robert H. Miller, Ben A. Barres
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2015)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Amy L. Herbert, Meng-meng Fu, Catherine M. Drerup, Ryan S. Gray, Breanne L. Harty, Sarah D. Ackerman, Thomas O'Reilly-Pol, Stephen L. Johnson, Alex V. Nechiporuk, Ben A. Barres, Kelly R. Monk
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2017)
Article
Cell Biology
Meng-meng Fu, Jeffrey J. Nirschl, Erika L. F. Holzbaur
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2014)
Article
Cell Biology
Meng-meng Fu, Erika L. F. Holzbaur
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2013)
Review
Cell Biology
Meng-meng Fu, Erika L. F. Holzbaur
TRENDS IN CELL BIOLOGY
(2014)
Review
Neurosciences
Eran Perlson, Sandra Maday, Meng-meng Fu, Armen J. Moughamian, Erika L. F. Holzbaur
TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES
(2010)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meng-meng Fu, Thomas S. McAlear, Huy Nguyen, Juan A. Oses-Prieto, Alex Valenzuela, Rebecca D. Shi, John J. Perrino, Ting-Ting Huang, Alma L. Burlingame, Susanne Bechstedt, Ben A. Barres
Review
Developmental Biology
Maya Weigel, Lin Wang, Meng-meng Fu
Summary: This review provides an overview of the literature on microtubules in ramified brain cells, focusing on their importance in different types of glial cells and how structure relates to function in these cells. Research shows that microtubules play important roles in glial cells, particularly in oligodendrocytes for extension of processes and myelin sheath elongation.
DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Alex Valenzuela, Lindsey Meservey, Huy Nguyen, Meng-meng Fu
TRENDS IN CELL BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Neurosciences
Huy Nguyen, Lindsey M. Meservey, Nao Ishiko-Silveria, Mu Zhou, Ting-Ting Huang, Meng-meng Fu
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Lindsey Madsen Meservey, Ved V. Topkar, Meng-meng Fu
TRENDS IN CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Blake A. Creighton, Simone Afriyie, Deepa Ajit, Cristine R. Casingal, Kayleigh M. Voos, Joan Reger, April M. Burch, Eric Dyne, Julia Bay, Jeffrey K. Huang, Eva S. Anton, Meng-Meng Fu, Damaris N. Lorenzo
Summary: Variants in the high-confidence autism spectrum disorder (ASD) gene ANK2 target both the ubiquitously expressed 220 kDa ankyrin-B and the neurospecific 440 kDa ankyrin-B (AnkB440) isoforms, affecting axonal collateral branching and growth cone collapse. Deficits in AnkB440 response to repellent cues may contribute to the pathogenicity of ANK2 variants.
Review
Cell Biology
Joseph C. Nowacki, Ashley M. Fields, Meng Meng Fu
Summary: Leukodystrophies are a group of neurological disorders characterized by deficiencies in myelin formation, commonly manifested in childhood with various symptoms. Genetic mutations are a common cause of leukodystrophies, with diverse inheritance patterns. Common themes in cellular mechanisms underlying leukodystrophies include abnormalities in oligodendrocyte function.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Shahrnaz Kemal, Hunter S. Richardson, Eric D. Dyne, Meng-meng Fu
Summary: Both neurons and glia in mammalian brains have highly branched structures and play important roles in regulating and supporting brain functions. Neurons form complex networks using axons and dendrites, while astrocytes contact synapses and blood vessels to regulate neuronal activity and blood flow. Oligodendrocytes form myelin sheaths around axons, and microglia survey their surroundings dynamically.
CURRENT OPINION IN CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
