{"title":"Microtubule Destabilizing Kinesins: A Historical Perspective and Thoughts for the Future.","authors":"Claire E Walczak","doi":"10.1002/cm.70179","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cm.70179","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The microtubule cytoskeleton plays critical roles in multiple cellular processes such as mitotic spindle assembly and chromosome segregation. Cells contain a number of microtubule-associated proteins that regulate microtubule dynamics both temporally and spatially in cells. The microtubule depolymerizing kinesins include members of the Kinesin-8 (Kif18A, Kif18B, Kif19) and Kinesin-13 (Kif2A, Kif2B, Kif2C, Kif24) families of molecular motor proteins. Whereas Kinesin-8s are plus-end directed microtubule motors as well as microtubule destabilizing enzymes, the Kinesin-13 proteins use their catalytic cycle to depolymerize microtubules independent of motility. In this piece I will provide a historical perspective on the discovery of the microtubule depolymerizing kinesins and their functions within mitosis. I also provide my ideas on some of the key unanswered questions in the field.</p>","PeriodicalId":72766,"journal":{"name":"Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":" ","pages":"e70179"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148610628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cytoskeleton Spotlight: Henry De Belly, PhD.","authors":"Henry De Belly","doi":"10.1002/cm.70174","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cm.70174","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72766,"journal":{"name":"Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":" ","pages":"e70174"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lathan Lucas, My Diem Quan, Josephine C Ferreon, Allan Chris M Ferreon
{"title":"Tubulin State Determines Proteopathic Fate.","authors":"Lathan Lucas, My Diem Quan, Josephine C Ferreon, Allan Chris M Ferreon","doi":"10.1002/cm.70162","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cm.70162","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neurodegenerative diseases have largely been defined by the accumulation of misfolded and aggregated proteins, while cytoskeletal disruption has typically been treated as a secondary consequence of pathology. Here, we argue that tubulin and microtubules are active determinants of whether disease-linked proteins remain functionally engaged or enter pathological assembly pathways. Recent evidence that tubulin redirects Tau:α-synuclein condensates away from oligomerization and amyloid formation toward physiological, microtubule-association competent states supports this view. On this basis, we propose that loss of productive protein-microtubule engagement shifts intracellular binding equilibria toward disengaged protein populations, available to access pathological homo- and heterotypic interactions. These macromolecular aggregates may then further disrupt microtubule organization, exacerbating cytoskeletal failure and accelerating disease progression. This view also offers an explanation for mixed pathologies, as release from one function-related interaction network expands access to several pathogenic ones. We further consider the implications of this model for therapy and biomarker development, positioning the tubulin/microtubule system as both a targetable regulator of proteostatic fate and a biologically informative readout of early pathology. In this perspective, tubulin state is not a passive marker of damage but a determinant of neurodegenerative protein behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":72766,"journal":{"name":"Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148229370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abhipsa Shatarupa, Lu Rao, Arne Gennerich, Hernando Sosa
{"title":"Beyond Binding Affinity: How a Conformation-Specific Salt Bridge Tunes KIF1A Mechanochemistry.","authors":"Abhipsa Shatarupa, Lu Rao, Arne Gennerich, Hernando Sosa","doi":"10.1002/cm.70163","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cm.70163","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mutations at KIF1A residue R350 are linked to hereditary spastic paraplegia type 30 (SPG30), part of the spectrum of KIF1A-associated neurological disorders (KAND). Recent high-resolution cryo-EM structures of the KIF1A R350G and R350W mutants bound to microtubules in both nucleotide-free (apo) and AMP-PNP-bound states revealed a salt bridge between KIF1A R350 and α-tubulin E415 that forms specifically in the open motor domain conformation and is abolished by both substitutions. Single-molecule motility assays further showed that disruption of this conformation-dependent electrostatic interaction increases motor velocity while reducing processivity and microtubule affinity in the apo state. These findings identify a previously unrecognized mechanism regulating KIF1A motility and highlight how subtle changes in motor mechanochemistry can contribute to KAND pathology.</p>","PeriodicalId":72766,"journal":{"name":"Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148229357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Picture of the Month by Arif Ashraf.","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/cm.70158","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cm.70158","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72766,"journal":{"name":"Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":" ","pages":"447"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148206376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Picture of the Month by Arif Ashraf.","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/cm.70159","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cm.70159","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72766,"journal":{"name":"Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":" ","pages":"448"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148206401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Picture of the Month by Joh Demura-devore and Arif Ashraf.","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/cm.70161","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cm.70161","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72766,"journal":{"name":"Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":" ","pages":"449"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148206404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Picture of the Month by Arif Ashraf.","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/cm.70157","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cm.70157","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72766,"journal":{"name":"Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":" ","pages":"450"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148206421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rosa M Guerra, Mia Nie, X Lucas Lu, Velia M Fowler, Liyun Wang
{"title":"Imaging and Assessment Methods of Phenotyping Osteocyte Networks.","authors":"Rosa M Guerra, Mia Nie, X Lucas Lu, Velia M Fowler, Liyun Wang","doi":"10.1002/cm.70152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cm.70152","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Osteocytes, the master orchestrators of bone remodeling, form an extensive network of F-actin rich dendrites that enable them to sense external mechanical signals and communicate with other cells, which are essential to maintain bone homeostasis and bone mass. Loss of the osteocyte dendrite number and connectivity and similar changes in the lacunar-canalicular pore system (LCS) surrounding the osteocyte dendrites have been reported in aged animals and humans. Increasing evidence demonstrates the close association of osteocyte dendrites/LCS alterations with many bone disorders and diseases that affect the formation, maturation, maintenance, or degeneration of osteocyte dendrites. Given their intrinsic temporal and spatial variations, phenotyping the osteocyte dendrite/LCS requires rigorous evaluation of a large number of cells with reliable methods. The goal of this manuscript is to describe several easy-to-adopt strategies of phenotyping osteocyte dendrites and high-throughput analysis methods developed in previous literature and our laboratories. Protocols will be detailed for (1) preparing various murine and human bone samples; (2) fluorescence staining of the dendrite cytoskeleton; (3) silver nitrate staining of the LCS; and (4) sample imaging and analysis including macro plugins using the free software ImageJ. The protocols provide reliable methods to phenotyping osteocytes in the context of aging, diseases, and treatments.</p>","PeriodicalId":72766,"journal":{"name":"Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148139960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}