Motor coordination via a tug-of-war mechanism drives bidirectional vesicle transport.

ABSTRACT: The microtubule motors kinesin and dynein function collectively to drive vesicular transport. High-resolution tracking of vesicle motility in the cell indicates that transport is often bidirectional, characterized by frequent directional changes. However, the mechanisms coordinating the collective activities of oppositely oriented motors bound to the same cargo are not well understood. To examine motor coordination, we purified neuronal transport vesicles and analyzed their motility via automated particle tracking with nanometer resolution. The motility of purified vesicles reconstituted in vitro closely models the movement of LysoTracker-positive vesicles in primary neurons, where processive bidirectional motility is interrupted with frequent directional switches, diffusional movement, an

SUBMITTER: Hendricks AG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2908734 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature