Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026
08:00
Observation of the Ciliary Movement of Choroid Plexus Epithelial Cells Ex Vivo
Published on: July 13, 2015
Who drives the ciliary highway?
1MRC Centre for Developmental and Biomedical Genetics; Department of Biomedical Science; The University of Sheffield; Sheffield, UK.
Bioarchitecture
|September 11, 2012
Summary
Cilia use kinesin motors to build and function. Understanding these motors is key to processes like vision and embryonic development.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Cilia are cell protrusions crucial for motility, fluid flow, and signal detection.
- Cilia structure relies on microtubules and kinesin motors for protein transport.
- Multiple kinesins are often required for cilia formation and function in multicellular organisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the complex roles of kinesin motors in ciliary transport.
- To highlight the importance of understanding kinesin interactions for biological processes.
Main Methods:
- Investigated microtubule-dependent motors (kinesins) involved in ciliary protein transport.
- Analyzed the function of kinesin-2 family motors and other kinesins in tissue-specific transport.
- Examined the formation and function of cilia requiring multiple kinesins.
Main Results:
- Kinesins transport structural and signaling proteins within cilia.
- Kinesin-2 motors are essential across species, while other kinesins have tissue-specific roles.
- Functional relationships between ciliary kinesins are complex and multifaceted.
Conclusions:
- Elucidating the complex interplay of ciliary kinesins is vital.
- Understanding these motor proteins is essential for comprehending olfaction, vision, and embryonic development.
Related Concept Videos
01:05Mechanism of Ciliary Motion
The ciliary structures were first seen in 1647 by Antonie Leeuwenhoek while observing the protozoans. In lower organisms, these appendages are responsible for cell movement, while in higher organisms, these appendages help in the movement of the extracellular fluids within the body cavities.
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...
01:05Mechanism of Ciliary Motion
The ciliary structures were first seen in 1647 by Antonie Leeuwenhoek while observing the protozoans. In lower organisms, these appendages are responsible for cell movement, while in higher organisms, these appendages help in the movement of the extracellular fluids within the body cavities.
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...
01:26Transport Across the Golgi
While it is unclear how molecules move between adjacent Golgi cisternae, it is apparent that the molecules move from cis- cisterna, the entry face, to the trans- cisterna, the exit face. Experiments initially suggested vesicles that bud from one cisterna and fuse with the next cisterna to transport proteins between the cisternae. This vesicular transport model describes the Golgi apparatus as a relatively static structure with a unique enzyme composition in each cisterna. Molecules are...
01:22Microtubules in Signaling
The primary cilium, made up of microtubules, acts as antennae on the cell surfaces for relaying external stimuli into the cells. These fine hair-like structures are present, generally one per cell. These are non-motile cilia in a 9+0 microtubules arrangement, where the central pair of microtubules are absent. The primary cilia arise from the basal body embedded in the cell membrane. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) carries requisite proteins from the cytoplasm to the cilium because the primary...
01:32Microtubule 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...
01:43The 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,...