Fast Transport of Neurofilament Protein along Microtubules in Squid Axoplasm

Using squid axoplasm as a model system, we have visualized the fast transport of non-filamentous neurofilament protein particles along axonal microtubules. This transport occurs at speeds of 0.5-1.0 microm/second and the majority of neurofilament particles stain with kinesin antibody. These observations demonstrate, for the first time, that fast (0.5-1.0 microm/second) transport of neurofilament proteins occurs along microtubules. In addition, our studies suggest that neurofilament protein can be transported as non-membrane bound, nonfilamentous subunits along axons, and that the transport is kinesin-dependent. Microtubule-based fast transport might therefore provide a mechanism for the distribution and turnover of neurofilament, and perhaps other cytoskeletal proteins, throughout neurons

Fast Transport of Neurofilament Protein along Microtubules in Squid Axoplasm

Using squid axoplasm as a model system, we have visualized the fast transport of non-filamentous neurofilament protein particles along axonal microtubules. This transport occurs at speeds of 0.5-1.0 microm/second and the majority of neurofilament particles stain with kinesin antibody. These observations demonstrate, for the first time, that fast (0.5-1.0 microm/second) transport of neurofilament proteins occurs along microtubules. In addition, our studies suggest that neurofilament protein can be transported as non-membrane bound, nonfilamentous subunits along axons, and that the transport is kinesin-dependent. Microtubule-based fast transport might therefore provide a mechanism for the distribution and turnover of neurofilament, and perhaps other cytoskeletal proteins, throughout neurons

Simultaneous optical trapping and detection of atoms by microdisk resonators

We propose a scheme for simultaneously trapping and detecting single atoms near the surface of a substrate using whispering gallery modes of a microdisk resonator. For efficient atom-mode coupling, the atom should be placed within approximately 150nm from the disk. We show that a combination of red and blue detuned modes can form an optical trap at such distances while the backaction of the atom on the field modes can simultaneously be used for atom detection. We investigate these trapping potentials including van-der-Waals and Casimir-Polder forces and discuss corresponding atom detection efficiencies, depending on a variety of system parameters. Finally, we analyze the feasibility of nondestructive detection

Recommendations for accelerating open preprint peer review to improve the culture of science

Peer review is an important part of the scientific process, but traditional peer review at journals is coming under increased scrutiny for its inefficiency and lack of transparency. As preprints become more widely used and accepted, they raise the possibility of rethinking the peer-review process. Preprints are enabling new forms of peer review that have the potential to be more thorough, inclusive, and collegial than traditional journal peer review, and to thus fundamentally shift the culture of peer review toward constructive collaboration. In this Consensus View, we make a call to action to stakeholders in the community to accelerate the growing momentum of preprint sharing and provide recommendations to empower researchers to provide open and constructive peer review for preprints

Nucleotide specificities of anterograde and retrograde organelle transport in Reticulomyxa are indistinguishable

Abstract. Membrane-bound organelles move bidirectionally along rnicrotubules in the freshwater ameba, Reticulomyxa. We have examined the nucleotide requirements for transport in a lysed cell model and compared them with kinesin and dynein-driven motility in other systems. Both anterograde and retrograde transport in Reticulomyxa show features characteristic of dynein but not of kinesin-powered movements: organelle transport is reactivated only by ATP and no other nucleoside triphosphates; the K, and Vr ~ of the ATP-driven movements are similar to values obtained for dynein rather than kinesin-driven movement; and of 15 ATP analogues tested for their ability to promote organelle transport, only 4 of them did. This narrow specificity resembles that of dynein-mediated in vitro transport and is dissimilar to the broad specificity of the kinesin motor (Shimizu, T., K

Recommendations for accelerating open preprint peer review to improve the culture of science.

Peer review is an important part of the scientific process, but traditional peer review at journals is coming under increased scrutiny for its inefficiency and lack of transparency. As preprints become more widely used and accepted, they raise the possibility of rethinking the peer-review process. Preprints are enabling new forms of peer review that have the potential to be more thorough, inclusive, and collegial than traditional journal peer review, and to thus fundamentally shift the culture of peer review toward constructive collaboration. In this Consensus View, we make a call to action to stakeholders in the community to accelerate the growing momentum of preprint sharing and provide recommendations to empower researchers to provide open and constructive peer review for preprints

Estimating the growth of preprint review over time.

Preprints evaluated per month on Sciety, excluding reviews conducted by automated tools (ScreenIT) and reviews by journals posted after publication of the journal version (source data available [20]). This chart includes data from the following services, regardless of which server the preprints they evaluate have been posted to: eLife, Review Commons, Arcadia Science, preLights, Rapid Reviews, PREreview, NCRC, Peer Community In (Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, Zoology, Animal Science, Neuroscience, Paleontology, Archaeology), PeerRef, Biophysics Colab, ASAPbio (and ASAPbio-SciELO) crowd review, Life Science Editors (including Foundation), and The Unjournal. Data have been collected and provided by Sciety. Reviews posted to comment sections of preprint servers are not included, and depending on the policies of individual services, some of the evaluations included in this chart may not meet our definition of preprint review.</p