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Related Concept Videos

The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles01:43

The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles

In eukaryotic cells,  cytoskeletal filaments such as actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments form a mesh-like cytoskeletal network. These filaments serve as tracks for transporting cellular cargo. Specialized motor proteins use the chemical energy stored in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for this transport. During interphase, microtubules are polarized, with the plus-end towards the cell periphery and the minus-end towards the cell center. Two microtubule-associated motor proteins,...
Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins01:32

Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins

Eukaryotic cells have different motor proteins for transporting various cargo within the cell. These motor proteins differ based on the filament they associate with, the direction they move within the cell, and the type of cargo they transport. Motor proteins that associate with microtubules are known as microtubule-associated motor proteins. There are two families of microtubule-associated motor proteins —Kinesins and Dyneins. Both these proteins assist in the transport of cellular cargos...
Anaphase A and B01:39

Anaphase A and B

Microtubules form through the end-to-end polymerization of tubulin heterodimers. Kinetochore microtubules originate from the spindle poles, and their plus-ends connect with the kinetochores on sister-chromatids. Ndc80 protein complexes, present on the kinetochore, form low-affinity links with the plus end of these kinetochore microtubules.
Plus-end depolymerization releases tubulin heterodimers from the terminal region of the microtubule. As tubulin subunits are lost, the Ndc80 complexes detach...
Spindle Assembly02:50

Spindle Assembly

Spindle assembly occurs through three, often coexisting, pathways – the centrosome-mediated pathway, the chromatin-mediated pathway, and the microtubule-mediated pathway – collectively contributing to form a robust spindle apparatus.
In most cells, centrosomes are the primary microtubule nucleation centers. In the centrosome-mediated pathway, the G2-prophase transition triggers centrosome maturation and increased microtubule nucleation. Progressive nucleation results in a microtubule array...
Forces Acting on Chromosomes02:11

Forces Acting on Chromosomes

During mitosis, chromosome movements occur through the interplay of multiple piconewton level forces. In prometaphase, these forces help in chromosome assembly or congression at the equatorial plane, eventually leading to their alignment at the metaphase plate. The forces acting on the chromosomes are space and time-dependent; therefore, they vary with the position of the chromosomes as the cell progresses through mitosis. 
Microtubules and motor proteins exert two types of forces on...
Destabilization of Microtubules01:45

Destabilization of Microtubules

The destabilization of microtubules can occur during different stages of the microtubule lifecycle, such as nucleation or elongation. It can take place at either end of the microtubule or in the microtubule lattices as a whole. The lifespan of individual microtubules within a cell varies according to the cell type and stage of the cell cycle. During interphase, the lifespan of the microtubule is about 30 minutes, while during cell division, it is about 15 minutes. In axonal microtubules of...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Cargo Loading onto Kinesin Powered Molecular Shuttles
09:00

Cargo Loading onto Kinesin Powered Molecular Shuttles

Published on: November 3, 2010

Kinesin backsteps.

Nicholas J Carter1, Robert A Cross

  • 1Centre for Mechanochemical Cell Biology, Warwick Medical School, Gibbet Hill, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K.

Biochemical Society Transactions
|March 23, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Kinesin-1 motor proteins occasionally step backward along microtubules, revealing failures in their forward motion mechanism. Studying these backsteps offers insights into the molecular basis of kinesin

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Last Updated: May 23, 2026

Cargo Loading onto Kinesin Powered Molecular Shuttles
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Area of Science:

  • Molecular motor function
  • Cellular transport mechanisms

Background:

  • Kinesin-1 is a molecular motor that moves along microtubules in discrete steps.
  • The precise mechanism of kinesin's directional movement, particularly its forward bias, is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore controversial aspects of kinesin-1's molecular mechanism.
  • To investigate the pathways and significance of kinesin-1 backstepping.

Main Methods:

  • Mechanochemical analysis of kinesin-1 motor protein function.
  • Investigating the dynamics of kinesin-1 stepping along microtubules.

Main Results:

  • Backstepping in kinesin-1 represents a failure of the forward-biased movement mechanism.
  • Analysis of backstepping provides crucial information about the motor's directional bias.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding kinesin-1 backsteps is key to elucidating the fundamental mechanisms of directional molecular motors.
  • Mechanochemical studies of motor failures illuminate normal motor function.