Structural mechanism of the dynein power stroke.

ABSTRACT: Dyneins are large microtubule motor proteins required for mitosis, intracellular transport and ciliary and flagellar motility. They generate force through a power-stroke mechanism, which is an ATP-consuming cycle of pre- and post-power-stroke conformational changes that cause relative motion between different dynein domains. However, key structural details of dynein's force generation remain elusive. Here, using cryo-electron tomography of intact, active (that is, beating), rapidly frozen sea urchin sperm flagella, we determined the in situ three-dimensional structures of all domains of both pre- and post-power-stroke dynein, including the previously unresolved linker and stalk of pre-power-stroke dynein. Our results reveal that the rotation of the head relative to the linker is the key ac

SUBMITTER: Lin J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4102432 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature