Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 12, 2026

Reconstitution of Actin-Based Motility with Commercially Available Proteins
Published on: October 28, 2022
MyTH4-FERM myosins in the assembly and maintenance of actin-based protrusions
Meredith L Weck1, Nathan E Grega-Larson1, Matthew J Tyska1
1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 3154 MRB III, PMB 407935, 465 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37240-7935, United States.
Abstract:
Unconventional myosins are actin-based molecular motors that serve a multitude of roles within the cell. One group of myosin motors, the MyTH4-FERM myosins, play an integral part in building and maintaining finger-like protrusions, which allow cells to interact with their external environment. Suggested to act primarily as transporters, these motor proteins enrich adhesion molecules, actin-regulatory proteins and other factors at the tips of filopodia, microvilli, and stereocilia. Below we review data from biophysical, biochemical, and cell biological studies, which implicate these myosins as central players in the assembly, maintenance and function of actin-based protrusions.
Related Concept Videos
The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells
Role of Myosin in Cell Migration
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....
Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate....
Actin and Myosin in Muscle Contraction
Formation of Higher-order Actin Filaments
The high-order actin...
Cytoskeletal Accessory Proteins

