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Updated: May 2, 2026

Characterizing the Composition of Molecular Motors on Moving Axonal Cargo Using "Cargo Mapping" Analysis
Published on: October 30, 2014
Reconstituting the motility of isolated intracellular cargoes
Adam G Hendricks1, Yale E Goldman1, Erika L F Holzbaur1
1Pennsylvania Muscle Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Department of Physiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Abstract:
Kinesin, dynein, and myosin transport intracellular cargoes including organelles, membrane-bound vesicles, and mRNA along the cytoskeleton. These motor proteins work collectively in teams to transport cargoes over long distances and navigate around obstacles in the cell. In addition, several types of motors often interact on the same cargo to allow bidirectional transport and switching between the actin and microtubule networks. To examine transport of native cargoes in a simplified in vitro system, techniques have been developed to isolate endogenous cargoes and reconstitute their motility. Isolated cargoes can be tracked and manipulated with high precision using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy and optical trapping. Through use of native cargoes, we can examine vesicular transport in a minimal system while retaining endogenous motor stoichiometry and the biochemical and mechanical characteristics of both motor and cargo.
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