Regulation of the microtubule network; the shaft matters!

In cells, the microtubule network continually assembles and disassembles. The regulation of microtubule growth or shortening has almost exclusively been studied at their dynamic ends. However, microtubules are dynamic all along their entire shaft. A dynamic shaft increases the lifetime and length of a microtubule by reducing the shortening phases and promoting its regrowth. Here, we discuss how shaft dynamics can regulate microtubule network organization, intracellular transport, and polarization of the network.