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Native Myosin-IXb is a plus-, not a minus-end-directed motor
Christopher B O'Connell1, Mark S Mooseker
1Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
Nature Cell Biology
|February 4, 2003
Summary
Myosin-IXb (Myo9b) is a motor protein. Its tail domain unexpectedly reverses the motor
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Molecular motors
- Protein dynamics
Background:
- Myosin-IXb (Myo9b) is a unique motor protein.
- It possesses a Rho-GTPase-activating protein (GAP) domain in its tail region.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the directionality of full-length Myosin-IXb.
- To determine the role of the tail domain in regulating motor function.
Main Methods:
- Actin filament motility assays were performed.
- Directionality of the motor domain versus the full-length protein was compared.
Main Results:
- The tail-less Myosin-IXb motor domain moves towards the minus end of actin filaments.
- Full-length Myosin-IXb exhibits plus-end-directed movement along actin filaments.
Conclusions:
- The tail domain of Myosin-IXb is crucial for determining its overall motor directionality.
- Myosin-IXb functions as a plus-end-directed motor in its complete form.