Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36463258›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2022

The rate of microtubule breaking increases exponentially with curvature.

Stanislav Tsitkov, Juan B Rodriguez, Neda M Bassir Kazeruni, May Sweet, Takahiro Nitta, Henry Hess

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 29% 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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Kinesin-Induced Buckling Reveals the Limits of Microtubule Self-Repair.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. SSNA1 mechanically reinforces the damaged microtubule lattice.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Mechanical fatigue in microtubules.Scientific reports · 2024
    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

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Stanislav Tsitkov *Columbia University, 351L Engineering Terrace, MC 8904, 1210 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
Juan B Rodriguez *Columbia University, 351L Engineering Terrace, MC 8904, 1210 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
Neda M Bassir Kazeruni *Columbia University, 351L Engineering Terrace, MC 8904, 1210 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
May SweetApplied Physics Course, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan.
Takahiro NittaApplied Physics Course, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan.
Henry HessColumbia University, 351L Engineering Terrace, MC 8904, 1210 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 10027, USA. hhess@columbia.edu.
Columbia University · USGifu University · JP

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Microtubules, cylindrical assemblies of tubulin proteins with a 25 nm diameter and micrometer lengths, are a central part of the cytoskeleton and also serve as building blocks for nanobiodevices. Microtubule breaking can result from the activity of severing enzymes and mechanical stress. Breaking can lead to a loss of structural integrity, or an increase in the numbers of microtubules. We observed breaking of taxol-stabilized microtubules in a gliding motility assay where microtubules are propelled by surface-adhered kinesin-1 motor proteins. We find that over 95% of all breaking events are associated with the strong bending following pinning events (where the leading tip of the microtubule becomes stuck). Furthermore, the breaking rate increased exponentially with increasing curvature. These observations are explained by a model accounting for the complex mechanochemistry of a microtubule. The presence of severing enzymes is not required to observe breaking at rates comparable to those measured previously in cells.

Indexed as

CytoskeletonMicrotubulesCell Migration AssaysKinesinsMembrane ProteinsTubulinKinesinsMembrane ProteinsTubulin

Identifiers

PMID36463258
PMCPMC9719553
OpenAlexW4310775670

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.