title: The mechanism of dynein motility: insight from crystal structures of the motor domain.
abstract: Dynein is a large cytoskeletal motor protein that belongs to the AAA+ (ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities) superfamily. While dynein has had a rich history of cellular research, its molecular mechanism of motility remains poorly understood. Here we describe recent X-ray crystallographic studies that reveal the architecture of dynein's catalytic ring, mechanical linker element, and microtubule binding domain. This structural information has given rise to new hypotheses on how the dynein motor domain might change its conformation in order to produce motility along microtubules.
authors: Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
authors: Carol
authors: C
authors: Cho
authors: Ronald D
authors: RD
authors: Vale
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000818:Animals; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004398:Dyneins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D011485:Protein Binding; D054730:Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D004398:Dyneins