Human DCTN1 (UniProt Q14203): Functional Annotation Research Report Falcon Edison Scientific Literature 51 citations 1 artifacts 2026-09-27T16:24:25.078711

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Human DCTN1 (UniProt Q14203): Functional Annotation Research Report

Executive summary

The requested identity is verified: human DCTN1 encodes dynactin subunit 1, conventionally called p150Glued (also DP-150/DAP-150), the largest subunit and projecting arm of the dynactin complex. The literature’s p150Glued protein, human gene symbol DCTN1, N-terminal CAP-Gly/basic microtubule-binding module, coiled-coil architecture, and shorter p135 isoform all agree with the supplied UniProt Q14203 record. No conflicting same-symbol protein was encountered. (cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12, liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 38-41, mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 4-5)

DCTN1 is not an enzyme or transporter. It is a non-catalytic structural and regulatory component of the cytoplasmic dynein transport machinery. Its central function is to organize dynactin, bind microtubules and plus-end proteins, engage dynein and regulators, and promote assembly and activation of processive dynein–dynactin–cargo-adaptor complexes. Dynein supplies ATP hydrolysis and force; DCTN1 supplies scaffolding, microtubule engagement, assembly control, and transport initiation. (doerksen2025sacylationofneuronal pages 23-28, cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 1-3)

Aspect Supported annotation Strongest evidence or method Confidence and caveat
Identity and aliases Human DCTN1 encodes dynactin subunit 1, the largest dynactin subunit, commonly called p150Glued; literature also distinguishes a shorter p135 isoform. This agrees with the supplied human UniProt Q14203 record and its CAP-Gly and dynactin-family annotations. (cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12, liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 38-41, mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 4-5) Biochemical and structural reviews identify p150 as a homodimeric arm of vertebrate dynactin; recent Perry-disease literature independently identifies DCTN1 as the p150Glued-encoding gene. 2015 DOI; 2024 DOI High. No conflicting human gene identity was found. Retrieved literature did not independently verify the Q14203 accession or every UniProt isoform length.
Molecular class and primary function Non-enzymatic structural and regulatory protein, not an enzyme or solute transporter. Two p150 molecules form dynactin’s projecting arm and help assemble, position and activate processive cytoplasmic dynein–dynactin–adaptor complexes. (doerksen2025sacylationofneuronal pages 23-28, cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 1-3) Structural, biochemical and single-molecule work shows that dynactin plus a cargo adaptor converts dynein into a highly processive motor. The active assembly is approximately 4 MDa, including approximately 1.1 MDa dynactin. Science, March 2024 High. ATP hydrolysis and force generation belong to dynein, whereas DCTN1 acts as a scaffold, microtubule-engagement factor and assembly regulator.
CAP-Gly and basic regions The N-terminal CAP-Gly domain and adjacent serine-rich basic region bind microtubules and plus-end proteins. CAP-Gly recognizes C-terminal aromatic EEY/F-type motifs, including tyrosinated α-tubulin, and contributes especially to transport initiation. (doerksen2025sacylationofneuronal pages 23-28, liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 5-8, barbosa2017dynactinbindingto pages 28-29) Structural analysis, neuronal perturbation and genome-edited C. elegans mutants connect CAP-Gly and tubulin tyrosination to dynein-mediated organelle-transport initiation and centrosome centration. 2017 DOI High for microtubule and plus-end binding and transport initiation; moderate when extrapolating organism-specific centration results to human cells. CAP-Gly is less essential for sustained movement after initiation.
Coiled-coil architecture p150 contains CC1A, CC1B, an inter-coiled-coil domain and CC2. CC1 contacts dynein intermediate-chain regions; CC2 and distal regions participate in adaptor and dynactin organization, while the C terminus anchors p150 within dynactin. (doerksen2025sacylationofneuronal pages 23-28, cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12) Structural and biochemical studies show that the p150 homodimer projects from a shoulder attached to an approximately 40-nm Arp1 filament in a roughly 1.2-MDa, 23-polypeptide vertebrate dynactin complex. (cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12) High for overall architecture. Exact interaction boundaries can vary with the construct, adaptor and p150 conformational state.
Dynein and LIS1 interactions Dynein intermediate-chain N termini help open autoinhibited p150. Exposed CC1B binds dynein and the LIS1 N terminus; LIS1 WD40 domains bind the dynein motor, jointly positioning the machinery for productive adaptor engagement. (singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 37-40, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 9-11, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 6-8, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 4-6) Cryo-EM, pull-downs, cellular mitochondrial-relocation assays and in-vitro motility localized dynein contacts to p150 residues 458–478 and 480–521, including motor AAA2 and AAA3 contacts. Science, March 2024 High. These are direct mechanistic data, although obtained with reconstituted complexes and the JIP3 adaptor rather than every physiological cargo adaptor.
Cellular localization Cytoplasmic p150 and dynactin associate dynamically with microtubules and growing plus ends and are enriched at distal neurites. Dynactin-level evidence also places the machinery at kinetochores and on dynein–cargo assemblies. (liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 5-8, doerksen2025sacylationofneuronal pages 23-28, cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12) EB1/EB3–CLIP-170-dependent recruitment, plus-end imaging, neuronal perturbation and reconstitution support plus-end and distal-axon localization. Golgi membranes were observed engaging p150-labelled plus ends immediately before movement. (liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 5-8) High for microtubules, plus ends and distal axons; moderate for attributing kinetochore or individual organelle localization specifically to p150 rather than dynactin as a whole.
Cargo and biochemical pathways DCTN1 participates in dynein-dependent retrograde trafficking of endosomes, lysosomes, autophagosomes, mitochondria, signaling endosomes, Golgi and ER carriers, and other vesicles. Cargo specificity is generally provided by activating adaptors and other dynactin components. (liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 41-44, liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 38-41) Interaction and transport studies link p150-containing complexes to Rab7–RILP/HPS6 lysosome transport, LC3–JIP1 autophagosome transport, TRAK1/2 mitochondrial transport, SNX5/6 endosome-to-TGN traffic and Rab6/Bicaudal-D secretory traffic. Traffic review, June 2017 Moderate to high. Evidence is strong for participation of dynein–dynactin, but many cargo associations are not direct p150–cargo contacts and do not constitute DCTN1 substrate specificity.
Axonal transport p150 recruits or stabilizes dynein–dynactin at distal microtubule plus ends and promotes initiation of fast retrograde transport from axon terminals toward the soma, including endosomes, mitochondria and neurotrophin-signaling organelles. (liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 5-8, doerksen2025sacylationofneuronal pages 23-28) Mouse dorsal-root-ganglion neurons and fly motor neurons show CAP-Gly-dependent initiation; EB1/EB3 recruit CLIP-170, which recruits p150 and dynactin. Fast axonal transport is approximately 1 μm/s or as much as 400 mm/day in the broader transport literature. (doerksen2025sacylationofneuronal pages 19-23, liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 5-8) High for initiation of neuronal retrograde transport. The quoted rates describe fast axonal transport generally, not purified DCTN1 kinetics.
Mitosis and cell organization Dynactin recruits and regulates dynein at kinetochores and contributes to spindle-associated transport, centrosome centration and organelle-positioning forces. The p150 microtubule-binding module can strengthen dynein-dependent cytoplasmic pulling. (dutta2019roleofdynein pages 2-3, barbosa2017dynactinbindingto pages 28-29, cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12) Kinetochore-recruitment studies and genome-edited CAP-Gly and tubulin-tyrosination mutants support these functions; the latter reduced centripetal organelle transport and impaired centrosome centration in dividing embryos. 2017 DOI Moderate. The mitotic role is well established for dynactin, but not every spindle function has been experimentally isolated to human DCTN1 alone.
2024 mechanistic advance LIS1 directly contacts p150 and tethers the open p150 arm along dynein during active-complex assembly. JIP3’s short N-terminal region can activate dynein–dynactin, and its LYHEL motif at residues 382–386 binds the dynactin pointed end. (singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 1-3, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 9-11, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 4-6, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 32-37) Microtubule-bound cryo-EM combined with motility, gel-filtration and pull-down assays produced a sequential assembly model involving DIC-N-mediated p150 opening, LIS1 engagement and adaptor stabilization. Science, March 2024 High. This refines p150’s annotation from a passive linker to an actively regulated assembly scaffold.
Disease variants and phenotypes Dominant DCTN1 variants cause a spectrum including Perry disease and distal hereditary motor neuropathy type 7B. Reported examples include p.G59S, p.G59R, p.Q93H, p.F52L, p.G67D and p.G71E. Most Perry-associated substitutions cluster in the N-terminal microtubule-binding region. (mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 4-5, mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 2-4, flores‑lagunes2024firstfamilywith pages 6-7) Genetic diagnosis, neuropathology and patient-derived iPSC neurons support causality. A 2024 Mexican family carried NM_004082:c.212G>A, p.Gly71Glu, previously identified in at least four Perry cases. June 2024 DOI High for established Mendelian DCTN1 disorders; lower for broad associations such as sporadic ALS or cancer. Open Targets associations are not prevalence estimates or proof of mechanism. (OpenTargets Search: -DCTN1)
TDP-43 and stress-granule mechanism Reduced DCTN1 function delays stress-granule disassembly and promotes ubiquitin-positive cytoplasmic TDP-43 inclusions, connecting impaired microtubule transport to proteostasis failure. Perry disease is a distinctive TDP-43 proteinopathy. (ueda2024dysregulationofstress pages 1-2, mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 2-4) Cultured-cell experiments and a human-TDP-43 Drosophila model showed that DCTN1 knockdown exacerbates aggregation and neurodegeneration; dynein or kinesin perturbation produced related effects. February 2024 DOI Moderate. Knockdown is not equivalent to every human missense variant, and fly findings require further validation in human neurons and patients.
Clinical and research applications Current implementation is principally molecular diagnosis, family counseling and disease modeling, not direct pharmacological targeting of DCTN1. Sequencing can distinguish Perry disease or HMN7B from overlapping parkinsonian and motor-neuron syndromes; p150 reconstitutions are used to study motor activation. (mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 4-5, mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 2-4, flores‑lagunes2024firstfamilywith pages 6-7) Exome sequencing confirmed p.G71E in the first reported Mexican Perry family. Patient-derived iPSC dopaminergic neurons and animal models are used to investigate aggregation, transport and TDP-43 mechanisms. January 2024 review; June 2024 report High for diagnostic utility; experimental for therapeutic translation. No DCTN1-specific approved therapy or clinical-trial intervention was identified in the gathered evidence.

Table: Compact evidence-based annotation of human DCTN1/Q14203, integrating molecular structure, localization, transport pathways, 2024 mechanistic advances and clinical relevance. Caveats distinguish direct p150Glued evidence from findings attributable to the broader dynein–dynactin machinery.

1. Identity, nomenclature, and molecular class

DCTN1/p150Glued is the largest dynactin subunit and forms a homodimeric arm extending from dynactin’s shoulder. Older biochemical descriptions call it the 150-kDa dynein-associated polypeptide; literature also distinguishes a shorter p135 species. The retrieved sources independently support the DCTN1–p150Glued identity but did not independently validate every sequence-level feature or exact isoform length in UniProt Q14203. (cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12, liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 38-41, mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 4-5)

Vertebrate dynactin has been described as an approximately 1.2-MDa complex containing 23 polypeptides, organized around an approximately 40-nm Arp1-based filament. More recent structural work describes dynactin as approximately 1.1 MDa within an active dynein–dynactin–adaptor assembly of approximately 4 MDa; the difference reflects context and measurement/description rather than a functional contradiction. (cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 1-3)

2. Domain architecture and structure–function relationships

N-terminal CAP-Gly/basic microtubule-binding module

The N terminus contains the supplied-record CAP-Gly domain and an adjacent serine-rich basic region. Together they mediate microtubule binding. CAP-Gly domains recognize C-terminal aromatic EEY/F-like motifs found on tyrosinated α-tubulin and microtubule plus-end proteins such as EB1 and CLIP-170. The basic region further increases microtubule engagement and can increase the time that dynein–dynactin remains associated with the microtubule. (doerksen2025sacylationofneuronal pages 23-28, liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 5-8, barbosa2017dynactinbindingto pages 28-29)

This module is especially important for initiating transport rather than maintaining every subsequent step of processive motion. In neurons, CAP-Gly-dependent recruitment at distal microtubule ends promotes the initiation of retrograde transport; evidence reviewed in the retrieved literature indicates that CAP-Gly can be less critical after sustained movement has begun. (liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 5-8, doerksen2025sacylationofneuronal pages 23-28)

Coiled coils and dynactin integration

The p150 arm contains CC1A, CC1B, an inter-coiled-coil domain, CC2, and a C-terminal dynactin-association region. CC1 participates in dynein intermediate-chain binding; CC2 and distal regions contribute to adaptor interactions and organization of the dynactin shoulder/arm. The C terminus anchors p150 in the dynactin complex. (doerksen2025sacylationofneuronal pages 23-28, cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12)

The supplied DUF8221 annotation is not assigned a comparably precise independent biochemical activity in the retrieved literature. Its safest annotation is therefore as part of the conserved dynactin-family structural architecture rather than as an autonomous catalytic domain.

3. Primary molecular function: assembly and activation of dynein transport complexes

Cytoplasmic dynein alone is often weakly processive or autoinhibited. Dynactin plus a cargo-specific activating adaptor—examples include BICD2, Hook proteins, Spindly-family adaptors, Rab11-FIP3, and JIP3—converts dynein into a highly processive minus-end-directed motor complex. DCTN1 is the principal elongated dynactin subunit that links microtubule engagement to dynein and adaptor assembly. (cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12, liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 41-44, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 1-3)

2024 mechanistic advance: p150–LIS1 cooperation

A March 2024 Science study used microtubule-bound cryo-EM, pull-down assays, cellular mitochondrial-relocation assays, and in-vitro motility to define how LIS1 and p150 promote active-complex assembly. DCTN1/p150 changes from a folded autoinhibited conformation to an open state. Binding of the dynein intermediate-chain N terminus, DIC-N, destabilizes the CC1A/CC1B hairpin and inter-coiled-coil-domain contacts. Exposed CC1B then binds the dynein motor and the LIS1 N-terminal region, whereas LIS1 WD40 domains bind the dynein motor. This tethers and orients dynein beneath the p150 arm for productive adaptor engagement. (singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 37-40, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 9-11, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 6-8)

The structure mapped DIC-N contacts to p150 residues 458–478 and dynein-motor contacts to residues 480–521, including contacts with dynein AAA2 and AAA3. The opened configuration directs the p150 CAP-Gly/basic N terminus toward the microtubule. These observations establish p150 as an actively regulated assembly scaffold, not merely a passive dynein tether. Singh et al., published March 2024, DOI. (singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 9-11, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 4-6)

The same work showed that JIP3’s RH1/LZI-containing N-terminal region can activate dynein–dynactin. A previously unrecognized JIP3 LYHEL Spindly motif, residues 382–386, binds the dynactin pointed end; motif mutation disrupted pointed-end binding. Because this work used a reconstituted JIP3 complex, its exact structural sequence should not automatically be generalized to every cargo adaptor, although the p150-opening principle is likely broader. (singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 4-6, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 32-37)

4. Cellular localization and site of action

DCTN1 acts principally in the cytoplasm on the microtubule cytoskeleton and in dynein–dynactin–cargo assemblies. Particularly well-supported locations are:

5. Biological processes and pathways

Retrograde axonal transport

The best-defined specialized role is initiation and support of fast retrograde axonal transport. In mouse dorsal-root-ganglion neurons and fly motor neurons, EB proteins recruit CLIP-170, which recruits p150/dynactin at distal microtubules. This facilitates soma-directed movement of early and late endosomes, mitochondria, and neurotrophin-signaling endosomes. (liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 5-8)

Fast axonal transport is commonly reported at approximately 1 μm/s, potentially reaching approximately 400 mm/day, but these values characterize the broader motor-transport system and are not intrinsic catalytic rates for DCTN1. (doerksen2025sacylationofneuronal pages 19-23)

Endolysosomal and autophagy pathways

DCTN1-containing dynactin complexes participate in Rab7–RILP/HPS6-dependent late-endosome and lysosome movement, JIP3-associated lysosomal transport, LC3–JIP1-linked autophagosome transport, and transport-dependent autophagosome maturation. Minus-end-directed movement brings distal autophagosomes and endolysosomal cargo toward perinuclear or somatic degradative compartments. (liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 41-44, liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 38-41)

This is a transport/positioning role rather than lysosomal enzymatic activity. DCTN1 has no known transported molecular “substrate” analogous to a membrane transporter; its cargo repertoire is determined by adaptors and organelle-specific small-GTPase pathways.

Secretory and endosomal sorting pathways

Reported p150-containing pathways include Rab6–Bicaudal-D-dependent Golgi/secretory traffic, SNX5/SNX6-dependent endosome-to-trans-Golgi transport, Sec23-associated COPII/ER export, and signaling-receptor endosomal transport involving EGFR, TrkA/TrkB, and APP-associated carriers. Attribution should generally be to the dynein–dynactin machinery unless a direct p150 interaction was experimentally demonstrated. (liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 41-44, liu2017regulationofdynein‐dynactin‐driven pages 38-41)

Mitosis and cellular organization

Dynactin supports dynein recruitment to kinetochores, spindle-pole-directed movement, centrosome positioning, and organelle-generated cytoplasmic pulling forces. CAP-Gly/tubulin-tyrosination mutants reduce the frequency of centripetal organelle movement and impair centrosome centration in dividing embryos, linking microtubule recognition directly to force-generating cellular organization. (dutta2019roleofdynein pages 2-3, barbosa2017dynactinbindingto pages 28-29, cianfrocco2015mechanismandregulation pages 11-12)

6. Disease mechanisms and genotype–phenotype relationships

Established Mendelian disorders

Dominant DCTN1 variants cause Perry disease/syndrome and distal hereditary motor neuropathy type 7B (HMN7B). Perry disease typically combines parkinsonism, depression or apathy, weight loss, and central hypoventilation or sleep-related respiratory dysfunction. It is neuropathologically classified as a TDP-43 proteinopathy. Most Perry-associated substitutions cluster in the N-terminal microtubule-binding region, emphasizing the functional importance of CAP-Gly/basic-domain interactions. Mishima et al., published January 2024, DOI. (mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 4-5, mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 2-4)

Reported genotype examples include p.G59S in HMN7B; p.G59R in distal motor neuropathy/ALS phenotypes; p.Q93H in motor-neuron and Perry phenotypes; and Perry-associated p.F52L, p.G67D, and p.G71E. Distinct variants can therefore perturb the same molecular module yet produce different neuronal vulnerabilities. HMN7B pathology may feature dynactin/p50-positive aggregates without the characteristic TDP-43 pathology of Perry disease. (mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 4-5, mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 2-4, flores‑lagunes2024firstfamilywith pages 6-7)

A June 2024 report described the first recorded Mexican Perry family and identified NM_004082:c.212G>A, p.Gly71Glu by exome sequencing. The variant had previously been reported in at least four Perry cases of differing backgrounds. Structural modeling suggested that the larger, charged glutamate side chain could alter CAP-Gly conformation and partner interactions, but this remains a modeled mechanism rather than direct biochemical proof. Flores-Lagunes et al., published June 2024, DOI. (flores‑lagunes2024firstfamilywith pages 6-7)

TDP-43 and stress-granule biology

A February 2024 study found that DCTN1 deficiency delayed stress-granule disassembly and increased ubiquitin-positive cytoplasmic TDP-43 inclusions in cultured cells and human-TDP-43 Drosophila models, exacerbating neurodegeneration. Dynein or kinesin perturbation produced related effects, indicating that disrupted bidirectional microtubule transport—not necessarily a DCTN1-only pathway—can destabilize stress-granule dynamics. Ueda et al., published February 2024, DOI. (ueda2024dysregulationofstress pages 1-2)

The study is mechanistically important because TDP-43 pathology is estimated to occur in almost all ALS cases and approximately half of FTD cases; TDP-43-positive inclusions also occur in Perry disease, especially in the substantia nigra, globus pallidus, and brainstem. Nevertheless, knockdown in flies is not equivalent to a heterozygous human CAP-Gly missense variant, and validation in patient-derived neurons and longitudinal human tissue is still needed. (ueda2024dysregulationofstress pages 1-2)

Strength of broader disease associations

Open Targets identifies literature-supported associations with ALS, neurodegenerative disease, Perry syndrome, HMN7B, and cancer. The retrieved association scores include approximately 0.87 for neurodegenerative disease, 0.80 for ALS, 0.80 for Perry syndrome, and 0.74 for HMN7B. These are database evidence-integration scores—not prevalence, penetrance, effect sizes, or proof that DCTN1 is a therapeutic target in every listed disease. (OpenTargets Search: -DCTN1)

7. Current applications and real-world implementation

The clearest current applications are:

  1. Genetic diagnosis and counseling. Exome or panel sequencing can identify pathogenic DCTN1 variants and distinguish Perry disease or HMN7B from overlapping parkinsonian, respiratory, motor-neuron, and frontotemporal syndromes. The 2024 Mexican-family report illustrates direct diagnostic implementation. (mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 2-4, flores‑lagunes2024firstfamilywith pages 6-7)
  2. Neuropathological classification. DCTN1 genotype, dynactin aggregation, regional neuronal loss, and the pattern of TDP-43 inclusions help separate Perry disease from HMN7B and other TDP-43 proteinopathies. (mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 4-5, mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 2-4)
  3. Patient-derived and animal models. p.F52L patient-derived iPSC dopaminergic neurons develop cytoplasmic dynactin aggregates, while fly and mouse models are used to connect transport failure to TDP-43, stress granules, ER abnormalities, and selective neuronal degeneration. The iPSC phenotype only partially recapitulates the human disease. (mishima2024perrydiseasebench pages 4-5, ueda2024dysregulationofstress pages 13-14, ueda2024dysregulationofstress pages 14-15)
  4. Mechanistic reconstitution. Purified dynein–dynactin–adaptor complexes and cryo-EM are used to define motor activation, adaptor recognition, and LIS1-dependent assembly at residue-level resolution. (singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 1-3, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 4-6)

No DCTN1-specific approved drug or established variant-directed therapy was identified in the gathered evidence. Current Perry-disease care remains diagnostic and supportive, while therapeutic concepts aimed at restoring transport, improving proteostasis, or modulating TDP-43/stress-granule clearance remain experimental.

8. Expert interpretation and annotation confidence

The strongest defensible primary annotation is:

DCTN1 encodes the p150Glued structural/regulatory arm of dynactin, which binds microtubules and plus-end proteins, engages dynein and LIS1, and promotes adaptor-dependent assembly, transport initiation, and processive minus-end-directed movement of diverse cellular cargoes.

Three distinctions are important:

9. Evidence limitations and research priorities

The 2024 structural work is highly authoritative but examines selected reconstituted adaptor states; live-cell studies are needed to determine how frequently the same p150-opening sequence occurs across endogenous cargoes. Disease models frequently use knockdown, overexpression, or non-human systems and may not reproduce dominant, variant-specific human biology. Finally, the field needs quantitative comparisons of how individual CAP-Gly variants alter tyrosinated-tubulin affinity, plus-end residence, DIC/LIS1 assembly, cargo-specific motility, and neuronal survival in isogenic human neurons. (singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 37-40, singh2024molecularmechanismof pages 4-6, ueda2024dysregulationofstress pages 1-2)

Key recent sources

References

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Artifacts

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