title: Cargo transport at microtubule crossings: evidence for prolonged tug-of-war between kinesin motors.
abstract: Intracellular transport of cargos along microtubules is often complicated by the topology of the underlying filament network. The fundamental building blocks for this complex arrangement are filament intersections. The navigation of cargos across microtubule intersections remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that kinesin-driven cargos are engaged in a tug-of-war at microtubule intersections. Tug-of-war events result in long pauses that can last from a few seconds to several minutes. We demonstrate that the extent of the tug-of-war and the duration of pauses change with the number of motors on the cargo and can be regulated by ionic strength. We also show that dwell times at intersections depend on the angle between crossing microtubules. Our data suggest that local microtubule geometry can regulate microtubule-based transport.
authors: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
authors: Olaolu
authors: O
authors: Osunbayo
authors: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
authors: Jacqualine
authors: J
authors: Butterfield
authors: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
authors: Jared
authors: J
authors: Bergman
authors: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
authors: Leslie
authors: L
authors: Mershon
authors: Department of Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut.
authors: Vladimir
authors: V
authors: Rodionov
authors: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah; Center for Cell and Genome Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Electronic address: vershinin@physics.utah.edu.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Vershinin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D004926:Escherichia coli; D016547:Kinesins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008547:Melanophores / Q000502:physiology; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism*; D014741:Video Recording; D014981:Xenopus
chemical_list: D016547:Kinesins