Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28978741›Full record

ArticleMolecular biology of the cell2017

Polarity sorting of axonal microtubules: a computational study.

Erin M Craig, Howard T Yeung, Anand N Rao, Peter W Baas

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular biology of the cell, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Regulation of Axonal Microtubule Polarity Orientation in Different Kinds of Neurons.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2025
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Microtubule Dysfunction: A Common Feature of Neurodegenerative Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Polarity Sorting of Microtubules in the Axon.Trends in neurosciences · 2018
    Review
  8. An Integrated Cytoskeletal Model of Neurite Outgrowth.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2018
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Erin M CraigDepartment of Physics, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926 erin.craig@cwu.edu.
Howard T YeungDepartment of Physics, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926.
Anand N RaoDepartment of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19129.
Peter W BaasDepartment of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19129.
Central Washington University · USDrexel University · US

Funding

MICROTUBULE DYNAMICS AND AXON GROWTHR01NS028785 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON · PI BAAS, PETER W. · 1990 to 2021
$7.3M
Establishment and Preservation of Microtubule Polarity in the AxonF31NS093748 · NINDS · DREXEL UNIVERSITY · PI RAO, ANAND NANDAKUMAR · 2015 to 2016
$72k
NINDS NIH HHS F31 NS093748NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS028785
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

We present a computational model to test a "polarity sorting" mechanism for microtubule (MT) organization in developing axons. We simulate the motor-based axonal transport of short MTs to test the hypothesis that immobilized cytoplasmic dynein motors transport short MTs with their plus ends leading, so "mal-oriented" MTs with minus-end-out are transported toward the cell body while "correctly" oriented MTs are transported in the anterograde direction away from the soma. We find that dynein-based transport of short MTs can explain the predominately plus-end-out polarity pattern of axonal MTs but that transient attachments of plus-end-directed motor proteins and nonmotile cross-linker proteins are needed to explain the frequent pauses and occasional reversals observed in live-cell imaging of MT transport. Static cross-linkers increase the likelihood of a stalled "tug-of-war" between retrograde and anterograde forces on the MT, providing an explanation for the frequent pauses of short MTs and the immobility of longer MTs. We predict that inhibition of the proposed static cross-linker will produce disordered transport of short MTs and increased mobility of longer MTs. We also predict that acute inhibition of cytoplasmic dynein will disrupt the polarity sorting of MTs by increasing the likelihood of "incorrect" sorting of MTs by plus-end-directed motors.

Indexed as

Axonal TransportAxonsCell MovementCell PolarityCells, CulturedComputer SimulationCytoplasmic DyneinsDyneinsKinesinsMicrotubulesNeuronsProtein TransportCytoplasmic DyneinsDyneinsKinesins

Identifiers

PMID28978741
PMCPMC5687029
OpenAlexW2761613006

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.