title: Interaction of kinesin motors, microtubules, and MAPs.
abstract: Kinesins are a family of microtubule-dependent motor proteins that carry cargoes such as vesicles, organelles, or protein complexes along microtubules. Here we summarize structural studies of the "conventional" motor protein kinesin-1 and its interactions with microtubules, as determined by X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. In particular, we consider the docking between the kinesin motor domain and tubulin subunits and summarize the evidence that kinesin binds mainly to beta tubulin with the switch-2 helix close to the intradimer interface between alpha and beta tubulin.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Unit for Structural Molecular Biology, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marx
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: E-M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mandelkow
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoenger
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mandelkow
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D016547:Kinesins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011485:Protein Binding; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D014404:Tubulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D021122:Protein Subunits; D014404:Tubulin; D016547:Kinesins