title: Myosins: Domain Organisation, Motor Properties, Physiological Roles and Cellular Functions.
abstract: Myosins are cytoskeletal motor proteins that use energy derived from ATP hydrolysis to generate force and movement along actin filaments. Humans express 38 myosin genes belonging to 12 classes that participate in a diverse range of crucial activities, including muscle contraction, intracellular trafficking, cell division, motility, actin cytoskeletal organisation and cell signalling. Myosin malfunction has been implicated a variety of disorders including deafness, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Usher syndrome, Griscelli syndrome and cancer. In this chapter, we will first discuss the key structural and kinetic features that are conserved across the myosin family. Thereafter, we summarise for each member in turn its unique functional and structural adaptations, cellular roles and associated pathologies. Finally, we address the broad therapeutic potential for pharmacological interventions that target myosin family members.
authors.affiliation: Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK. tam55@cam.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Masters
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kendrick-Jones
authors.affiliation: Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK.
authors.forename: Folma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buss
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009068:Movement; D009218:Myosins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D000072417:Protein Domains
chemical_list: D009218:Myosins
keywords: Actin; Adaptor proteins; Cargo; Cytoskeleton; Deafness; Duty ratio; Intracellular transport; Molecular motors; Movement; Myosins