Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 28, 2026

Quantitative Approaches for Studying Cellular Structures and Organelle Morphology in Caenorhabditis elegans
08:47

Quantitative Approaches for Studying Cellular Structures and Organelle Morphology in Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: July 5, 2019

10.5K

Myo19 is an outer mitochondrial membrane motor and effector of starvation-induced filopodia

Boris I Shneyer1, Marko Ušaj1, Arnon Henn2

  • 1Department of Biology, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel.

Journal of Cell Science
|December 15, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Myo19 is a novel molecular motor that anchors to the outer mitochondrial membrane. It plays a crucial role in positioning mitochondria during cellular stress responses like glucose starvation.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Mitochondria are vital organelles responding to environmental changes.
  • Mitochondrial dysfunction is linked to neurodegenerative diseases.
  • Mitochondrial dynamics and distribution are critical for cellular health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of Myo19 in mitochondrial dynamics and localization.
  • To understand Myo19's function during cellular response to glucose starvation.
  • To identify the mechanism of Myo19-mitochondria interaction.

Main Methods:

  • Ectopic expression of Myo19.
  • RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of Myo19.
  • Analysis of Myo19-mitochondria interaction via protein motifs.
  • Microscopy to observe mitochondrial localization and filopodia formation.

Main Results:

  • Myo19 localized with mitochondria to the tips of starvation-induced filopodia.
  • Myo19 knockdown reduced filopodia formation without affecting the mitochondrial network.
  • Myo19 is anchored to the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) by a specific motif.
  • Myo19 functions as a stably attached OMM molecular motor.

Conclusions:

  • Myo19 has a newly identified function in mitochondrial positioning under stress.
  • Myo19 is essential for mitochondrial localization to filopodia during glucose starvation.
  • This discovery offers insights into mitochondrial dynamics and cellular stress responses.
Keywords:
FilopodiaMitochondriaMyosin 19

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mitochondrial Contact Sites and Architectural Insights07:55

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mitochondrial Contact Sites and Architectural Insights

Published on: June 16, 2023

2.2K
Myosin-Specific Adaptations of In vitro Fluorescence Microscopy-Based Motility Assays08:57

Myosin-Specific Adaptations of In vitro Fluorescence Microscopy-Based Motility Assays

Published on: February 4, 2021

6.7K

Related Concept Videos

Mechanism of Filopodia Formation01:39

Mechanism of Filopodia Formation

Filopodia are thin, actin-rich cellular protrusions that play an important role in many fundamental cellular functions. They vary in their occurrence, length, and positioning in different cell types, suggesting their diverse roles.
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...
3.4K
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...
11.6K
Overview of Myosin Structure and Function01:15

Overview of Myosin Structure and Function

Myosins are a family of molecular motor proteins, first identified in the skeletal muscles, where they are responsible for muscle contraction. Along with their role in muscle contraction, these proteins also play a role in the intracellular transport of molecules and vesicles. There are twenty-four classes of myosins based on their domain sequence and organization. Of the twenty-four, six classes (Myosin I, Myosin II, Myosin V, Myosin VI, Myosin VII, and Myosin X)  have been well...
7.4K
Role of Myosin in Cell Migration01:18

Role of Myosin in Cell Migration

Myosins are multimeric motor proteins involved in various cellular processes such as migration, adhesion, and proliferation. Myosin II is the most common type in animal cells, which binds and cross-links actin filaments.
Myosin II  is a hexamer comprising two heavy chains with globular heads and coiled-coil tails, two regulatory light chains, and two essential light chains. The ATPase sites on the myosin heads hydrolyze ATP, and the released phosphate generates the force for contraction....
3.7K
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,...
7.2K
Porin Insertion in the Outer Mitochondrial Membrane01:12

Porin Insertion in the Outer Mitochondrial Membrane

Porins are beta-barrel proteins translocated to the mitochondrial outer membrane through the TOM complex into the intermembrane space. Porin precursors bind TIM chaperones within the intermembrane space and are guided to the Sorting and Assembly Machinery complex or SAM complex on the outer mitochondrial membrane.
Three models describe the assembly of porins by the SAM complex and their insertion into the outer membrane. Model 1 suggests that porins are assembled outside the SAM channel as the...
5.2K