Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34905702›Full record

ArticleOpen biology2021

Myelin sheath and cyanobacterial thylakoids as concentric multilamellar structures with similar bioenergetic properties.

Alessandro Maria Morelli, Mariachiara Chiantore, Silvia Ravera, Felix Scholkmann, Isabella Panfoli

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Open biology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 30% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Myelin sheaths can act as compact temporary oxygen storage units as modeled by an electrical RC circuit model.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
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

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Alessandro Maria MorelliPharmacy Department, Biochemistry Lab, University of Genova, Genova, Italy.
Mariachiara ChiantoreDepartment of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences, University of Genova, Genova, Italy.
Silvia RaveraExperimental Medicine Department, University of Genova, Genova, Italy.
Felix ScholkmannBiomedical Optics Research Laboratory, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-1748-4852
Isabella PanfoliExperimental Medicine Department, University of Genova, Genova, Italy.
University of Genoa · ITUniversity of Zurich · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

There is a surprisingly high morphological similarity between multilamellar concentric thylakoids in cyanobacteria and the myelin sheath that wraps the nerve axons. Thylakoids are multilamellar structures, which express photosystems I and II, cytochromes and ATP synthase necessary for the light-dependent reaction of photosynthesis. Myelin is a multilamellar structure that surrounds many axons in the nervous system and has long been believed to act simply as an insulator. However, it has been shown that myelin has a trophic role, conveying nutrients to the axons and producing ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. Therefore, it is tempting to presume that both membranous structures, although distant in the evolution tree, share not only a morphological but also a functional similarity, acting in feeding ATP synthesized by the ATP synthase to the centre of the multilamellar structure. Therefore, both molecular structures may represent a convergent evolution of life on Earth to fulfill fundamentally similar functions.

Indexed as

Adenosine TriphosphateAnimalsATP Synthetase ComplexesBiological EvolutionCyanobacteriaEnergy MetabolismHumansMyelin SheathOxidative PhosphorylationThylakoidsAdenosine TriphosphateATP Synthetase ComplexesATP synthasecyanobacteriamyelinoxidative phosphorylationphotosynthesisthylakoid

Identifiers

PMID34905702
PMCPMC8670949
OpenAlexW4200132688

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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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.