Detection of fractional steps in cargo movement by the collective operation of kinesin-1 motors.

ABSTRACT: The stepping behavior of single kinesin-1 motor proteins has been studied in great detail. However, in cells, these motors often do not work alone but rather function in small groups when they transport cellular cargo. Until now, the cooperative interactions between motors in such groups were poorly understood. A fundamental question is whether two or more motors that move the same cargo step in synchrony, producing the same step size as a single motor, or whether the step size of the cargo movement varies. To answer this question, we performed in vitro gliding motility assays, where microtubules coated with quantum dots were driven over a glass surface by a known number of kinesin-1 motors. The motion of individual microtubules was then tracked with nanometer precision. In the case of tra

SUBMITTER: Leduc C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1891812 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature