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1: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Nov 20;98(24):13655-9. Epub 2001 Nov 13.Click here to read Click here to read Links

Myosin VI is a processive motor with a large step size.

Rock RS, Rice SE, Wells AL, Purcell TJ, Spudich JA, Sweeney HL.

Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

Myosin VI is a molecular motor involved in intracellular vesicle and organelle transport. To carry out its cellular functions myosin VI moves toward the pointed end of actin, backward in relation to all other characterized myosins. Myosin V, a motor that moves toward the barbed end of actin, is processive, undergoing multiple catalytic cycles and mechanical advances before it releases from actin. Here we show that myosin VI is also processive by using single molecule motility and optical trapping experiments. Remarkably, myosin VI takes much larger steps than expected, based on a simple lever-arm mechanism, for a myosin with only one light chain in the lever-arm domain. Unlike other characterized myosins, myosin VI stepping is highly irregular with a broad distribution of step sizes.

PMID: 11707568 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PMCID: PMC61096