Cellular logistics: Unraveling the interplay between microtubule organization and intracellular transport

Abstract

Microtubules are core components of the cytoskeleton and serve as tracks for motor protein-based intracellular transport. Microtubule networks are highly diverse across different cell types and are believed to adapt to cell type-specific transport demands. Here we review how the spatial organization of different subsets of microtubules into higher-order networks determines the traffic rules for motor-based transport in different animal cell types. We describe the interplay between microtubule network organization and motor-based transport within epithelial cells, oocytes, neurons, cilia, and the spindle apparatus.