ArticleCell2014
Asymmetric friction of nonmotor MAPs can lead to their directional motion in active microtubule networks.
Article in Cell, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
53 citing papers in PubMed, 105 citations in OpenAlex.
- Activation and regulation of the dynein-dynactin-NuMA complex.Nature chemical biology · 2026Article
- Feedback between filament spacing, crosslinker binding, and self-organization in cytoskeletal bundles.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Mechanical force locally damages, remodels, and stabilizes the lattice of spindle microtubules.Current biology : CB · 2026Article
- Active fluctuations of cytoplasmic actomyosin networks facilitate dynein-driven transport.iScience · 2025Article
- PRC1 resists microtubule sliding in two distinct resistive modes due to variations in the separation between overlapping microtubules.Molecular biology of the cell · 2025Article
- NuMA mechanically reinforces the spindle independently of its partner dynein.Current biology : CB · 2025Article
- Ndc80 complex, a conserved coupler for kinetochore-microtubule motility, is a sliding molecular clutch.Science advances · 2025Article
- Micron-scale protein transport along microtubules by kinesin-driven shepherding.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- PRC1 resists microtubule sliding in two distinct resistive modes due to variations in the separation between overlapping microtubules.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- SKAP binding to microtubules reduces friction at the kinetochore-microtubule interface and increases attachment stability under force.Current biology : CB · 2025Article
- NuMA is a mitotic adaptor protein that activates dynein and connects it to microtubule minus ends.The Journal of cell biology · 2025Article
- Molecular design principles for bipolar spindle organization by two opposing motors.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Kinetochores grip microtubules with directionally asymmetric strength.The Journal of cell biology · 2025Article
- NuMA mechanically reinforces the spindle independently of its partner dynein.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Microtubule choreography: spindle self-organization during cell division.Biophysical reviews · 2024Review
- SKAP binding to microtubules reduces friction at the kinetochore-microtubule interface and increases attachment stability under force.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Article
- Redundant microtubule crosslinkers prevent meiotic spindle bending to ensure diploid offspring in C. elegans.PLoS genetics · 2023Article
- Confined-microtubule assembly shapes three-dimensional cell wall structures in xylem vessels.Nature communications · 2023Article
- Phosphorylation controls spatial and temporal activities of motor-PRC1 complexes to complete mitosis.The EMBO journal · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Diverse cellular processes require microtubules to be organized into distinct structures, such as asters or bundles. Within these dynamic motifs, microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) are frequently under load, but how force modulates these proteins' function is poorly understood. Here, we combine optical trapping with TIRF-based microscopy to measure the force dependence of microtubule interaction for three nonmotor MAPs (NuMA, PRC1, and EB1) required for cell division. We find that frictional forces increase nonlinearly with MAP velocity across microtubules and depend on filament polarity, with NuMA's friction being lower when moving toward minus ends, EB1's lower toward plus ends, and PRC1's exhibiting no directional preference. Mathematical models predict, and experiments confirm, that MAPs with asymmetric friction can move directionally within actively moving microtubule pairs they crosslink. Our findings reveal how nonmotor MAPs can generate frictional resistance in dynamic cytoskeletal networks via micromechanical adaptations whose anisotropy may be optimized for MAP localization and function within cellular structures.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.