Emerging roles for myosin II and cytoplasmic dynein in migrating neurons and growth cones
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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Analyses of Actin Dynamics, Clutch Coupling and Traction Force for Growth Cone Advance
Published on: October 21, 2021
Richard B Vallee1, Garrett E Seale, Jin-Wu Tsai
1Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA. rv2025@columbia.edu
Abstract:
Motor proteins are involved in a wide range of cellular and subcellular movements. Recent studies have implicated two motor proteins in particular, myosin II and cytoplasmic dynein, in diverse aspects of cell migration. This review focuses on emerging roles for these proteins in the nervous system, with particular emphasis on migrating neurons and neuronal growth cones. The former cells exhibit unusual features of centrosome and nuclear movement, whereas growth cones offer an opportunity to evaluate motor protein function in a region of cytoplasm free of these organelles.
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