Publications from UC Davis since 2018

Shen Y, Ori-McKenney KM. Molecular motors orchestrate pause-and-run dynamics to facilitate intracellular transport. Biomolecules,

Maxson R, Smoyer CJ, Hampton MF, Shen Y, Wiese K, Yee C, Singh A, Funtila A, McKenney RJ, Ori-McKenney KM. Injury-induced tau pathology promotes aggressive behavior in Drosophila without neurodegeneration. 

Shen Y, Maxson R, McKenney RJ, Ori-McKenney KM. Microtubule acetylation is a biomarker of cytoplasmic health during cellular senescence. In revision at Cell Reports. (2025). Read it HERE.

Fan X, Okada K, Lin H, Ori-McKenney KM, McKenney, RJ. A pathological phosphorylation pattern enhances tau cooperativity on microtubules and facilitates tau filament assembly. In revision at Communications Biology. (2025).

Sahabandu N, Okada K, Khan A, Elnatan D, Starr DA, Ori-McKenney KM*, Luxton GWG*, McKenney RJ*. Active Microtubule-Actin Crosstalk Mediated by a Nesprin-2G-Kinesin Complex. Science Advances (2025).

Liang X, Agulto R, Eichel K, Taylor CA, Paat VA, Deng H, Ori-McKenney KM, Shen K. CRMP/UNC-33 maintains neuronal microtubule arrays by promoting individual microtubule rescue. Current Biology (2025).

Tan TC, Shen Y, Stine LB, Mitchell B, Okada K, McKenney RJ*, Ori-McKenney KM*. Microtubule-associated protein, MAP1B, encodes functionally distinct polypeptides. Journal of Biological Chemistry (2024). Read it HERE.

Ori-McKenney KM*, McKenney RJ*. Tau oligomerization on microtubules in health and disease. Cytoskeleton (Hoboken), 81 (2024). Invited Review. Read it HERE.

Shen, Y, Ori-McKenney KM. Microtubule-associated protein MAP7 promotes tubulin posttranslational modifications and cargo transport to enable osmotic adaptation. Developmental Cell 59 (2024).

Siahaan V^, Tan R^, Humhalova T, Libusova L, Lacey SE, Tan, TC, Dacy M, Ori-McKenney KM*, McKenney RJ*, Braun M*, Lansky Z*. Microtubule lattice spacing governs cohesive envelope formation of tau family proteins. Nature Chemical Biology (2022). ^ co-first authors *co-corresponding authors

Chiba K, Ori-McKenney KM, Niwa S, McKenney RJ. Synergistic autoinhibition and activation mechanisms control kinesin-1 motor activity. Cell Reports, 39, 110900 (2022).

Sharma A, Preece B, Swann H, Fan X, McKenney RJ, Ori-McKenney KM, Saffarian S, Vershinin. Structural stability of SARS-CoV-2 virus like particles degrades with temperature. Biochem Biophys Research Communications, 534, 343-346 (2021).

Agulto, RL*, Rogers MM*, Tan TC*, Ramkumar A, Downing AM, Bodin H, Castro J, Nowakowski DW, Ori-McKenney KM. Autoregulatory control of microtubule binding in doublecortin-like kinase 1. eLife: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.60126 (2021). *co-first authors

Doval F, Chiba K, McKenney RJ, Ori-McKenney KM, Vershinin MD. Temperature-dependentactivity of kinesins is regulable. Biochem Biophys Research Communications, 528, 528-530 (2020).

Monroy BY,  Tan TC, Oclaman JM, Han JS, Simo S,  Nowakowski DW, McKenney RJ, Ori-McKenney KM. A Combinatorial MAP Code Dictates Polarized Microtubule Transport. Live on the Xiv, and at Developmental Cell, 53, 60-72 (2020). Read it HERE.

Tan R, Lam A, Tan TC, Han JS, Nowakowski DW, Vershinin M, Simo S, Ori-McKenney KM*, McKenney RJ*. Microtubules Gate Tau Condensation to Spatially Regulate Microtubule Functions. Nature Cell Biology, 21, 1078-85 (2019).Read it HERE.

Metivier M, Monroy BY, Gallaud E, Caous R, Pascal A, Richard-Parpaillon L, Guichet A, Ori-McKenney KM, Giet R. Dual control of Kinesin-1 recruitment to microtubules by Ensconsin in Drosophila neuroblasts and oocytes. Development, 146 (2019).Read it HERE.

Monroy BY, Sawyer DL, Ackermann BE, Borden MM, Tan TC, Ori-McKenney KM. Competition between microtubule-associated proteins directs motor transport. Nature Communications, 9, Article number: 1497 (2018). Read it HERE.

Ly C, Greb AC, Cameron LP, Wong JM, Barragan EV, Wilson PC, Burbach KF, Soltanzadeh Zarandi S, Sood A, Paddy MR, Duim WC, Dennis MY, McAllister AK, Ori-McKenney KM, Gray JA, Olson DE. Psychedelics promote structural and functional neural plasticity. Cell Reports, 11, 3170-82 (2018).

Ramkumar A, Monroy BY, Ori-McKenney KM. (Invited Review) ReMAPping the Microtubule Landscape: How Phosphorylation Dictates the Activities of Microtubule-Associated Proteins. Developmental Dynamics, 247, 138-55 (2018). Read it HERE.