Walking on two heads: the many talents of kinesin.
The gallop of a race horse and the minute excursions of a cellular vesicle have one thing in common: they are based on the directional movement of proteins termed molecular motors -- many trillions in the case of the horse, just a few in the case of the cell vesicle. These tiny machines take nanometre steps on a millisecond timescale to drive all biological movements. Over the past 15 years new biochemical and biophysical approaches have allowed us to take a giant step forward in understanding the molecular basis of motor mechanics.
Woehlke
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Adolf-Butenandt-Institut, Zellbiologie, University of Munich, Schillerstrasse 42, 80336 Munich, Germany. guenther.woehlke@lrz.uni-muenchen.de
Schliwa
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D001692:Biological Transport / Q000502:physiology*; D016547:Kinesins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D005810:Multigene Family; D009218:Myosins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary
D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins; D009218:Myosins; D016547:Kinesins