Single fungal kinesin motor molecules move processively along microtubules.

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Lakämper, Stefan Kallipolitou, Athina Woehlke, Guenther Schliwa, Manfred Meyhöfer, Edgar
Copyright Year	2003
Abstract	Conventional kinesins are two-headed molecular motors that move as single molecules micrometer-long distances on microtubules by using energy derived from ATP hydrolysis. The presence of two heads is a prerequisite for this processive motility, but other interacting domains, like the neck and K-loop, influence the processivity and are implicated in allowing some single-headed kinesins to move processively. Neurospora kinesin (NKin) is a phylogenetically distant, dimeric kinesin from Neurospora crassa with high gliding speed and an unusual neck domain. We quantified the processivity of NKin and compared it to human kinesin, HKin, using gliding and fluorescence-based processivity assays. Our data show that NKin is a processive motor. Single NKin molecules translocated microtubules in gliding assays on average 2.14 micro m (N = 46). When we tracked single, fluorescently labeled NKin motors, they moved on average 1.75 micro m (N = 182) before detaching from the microtubule, whereas HKin motors moved shorter distances (0.83 micro m, N = 229) under identical conditions. NKin is therefore at least twice as processive as HKin. These studies, together with biochemical work, provide a basis for experiments to dissect the molecular mechanisms of processive movement.
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
DOI	10.1016/S0006-3495(03)74991-1
PubMed reference number	12609885
Journal	Medline
Volume Number	84
Issue Number	3
Alternate Webpage(s)	http://dare.ubvu.vu.nl/bitstream/handle/1871/31042/226960.pdf?sequence=1
Alternate Webpage(s)	http://dare.ubvu.vu.nl/bitstream/handle/1871/31042/226960.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3495%2803%2974991-1
Journal	Biophysical journal
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article