Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles01:43

The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles

6.8K
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,...
6.8K
Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins01:32

Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins

11.1K
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...
11.1K
Destabilization of Microtubules01:45

Destabilization of Microtubules

3.8K
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...
3.8K
Overview of Myosin Structure and Function01:15

Overview of Myosin Structure and Function

6.9K
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...
6.9K
Anaphase A and B01:39

Anaphase A and B

5.6K
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...
5.6K
Polarity of the Cytoskeleton01:18

Polarity of the Cytoskeleton

25.4K
The intrinsic polarity of cells can be primarily attributed to two factors- i) the asymmetric accumulation of mobile components such are regulatory molecules and subcellular components across the cell and ii) the orientation of polar cytoskeletal filaments that make up the cytoskeletal networks, specifically microfilaments, and microtubules arranged along the axis of polarity. Interactions between the cytoskeletal filaments are crucial for the establishment and maintenance of the polar nature...
25.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Heavy Water Remodels the DNA Energy Landscape to Stabilize Folded States and Slow Transitions.

ACS physical chemistry Au·2026
Same author

A Phosphorylation Switch Governs KIF11's Mechanical Output During Mitosis.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

A simple fourth order propagator based on the Magnus expansion in the Liouville space: Application to a Λ-system and assessment of the rotating wave approximation.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same author

Iterative annealing mechanism for protein and RNA chaperones.

Biophysical journal·2025
Same author

Spatiotemporally-controlled droplet merging reveals 2D diffusion dynamics of multi-component surfactants.

Journal of colloid and interface science·2025
Same author

Variations of the Depletion Zones around Inclusions Explain the Complexity of Brush-Induced Depletion Interactions.

Journal of chemical theory and computation·2025
Same journal

Traffic Light Commentary-Src in the Upside Down: A Kinase Turned Inside Out.

Traffic (Copenhagen, Denmark)·2026
Same journal

Integrating Lateral Super-Resolution and Axial Progression Reveals Distinct Clathrin Pit Formation Pathways.

Traffic (Copenhagen, Denmark)·2026
Same journal

A Quarter Century of EHD Protein Research: From Endosomal Recycling to Ciliopathies.

Traffic (Copenhagen, Denmark)·2026
Same journal

Mechanistic Insight Into Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis in Plants.

Traffic (Copenhagen, Denmark)·2026
Same journal

Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis in Plants: Historical to Modern Advances.

Traffic (Copenhagen, Denmark)·2026
Same journal

A Toolbox for Quantifying Nuclear and Nucleolar Protein Accumulation Using NLS and NoLS Fusion Reporters.

Traffic (Copenhagen, Denmark)·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Motility of Single Molecules and Clusters of Bi-Directional Kinesin-5 Cin8 Purified from S. cerevisiae Cells
10:46

Motility of Single Molecules and Clusters of Bi-Directional Kinesin-5 Cin8 Purified from S. cerevisiae Cells

Published on: February 2, 2022

3.0K

Heterogeneity in kinesin function.

Babu J N Reddy1, Suvranta Tripathy1,2, Michael Vershinin3

  • 1Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA.

Traffic (Copenhagen, Denmark)
|July 22, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Kinesin motor proteins show significant speed variations, challenging the assumption of identical function. This heterogeneity in intracellular transport suggests distinct functional states influencing motor activity.

Keywords:
kinesinkinesin velocity heterogeneitymolecular motorsproteins in glycerol and altered pHtemperature dependence of kinesin motility

More Related Videos

Identification of Kinesin-1 Cargos Using Fluorescence Microscopy
08:06

Identification of Kinesin-1 Cargos Using Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: February 14, 2016

8.4K
Single-Molecule Analysis of Sf9 Purified Superprocessive Kinesin-3 Family Motors
08:16

Single-Molecule Analysis of Sf9 Purified Superprocessive Kinesin-3 Family Motors

Published on: July 27, 2022

2.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Motility of Single Molecules and Clusters of Bi-Directional Kinesin-5 Cin8 Purified from S. cerevisiae Cells
10:46

Motility of Single Molecules and Clusters of Bi-Directional Kinesin-5 Cin8 Purified from S. cerevisiae Cells

Published on: February 2, 2022

3.0K
Identification of Kinesin-1 Cargos Using Fluorescence Microscopy
08:06

Identification of Kinesin-1 Cargos Using Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: February 14, 2016

8.4K
Single-Molecule Analysis of Sf9 Purified Superprocessive Kinesin-3 Family Motors
08:16

Single-Molecule Analysis of Sf9 Purified Superprocessive Kinesin-3 Family Motors

Published on: July 27, 2022

2.4K

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Motors

Background:

  • Kinesin family proteins are crucial molecular motors regulating intracellular transport.
  • They are often assumed to function identically, a premise explored in this study.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional homogeneity of kinesin motor proteins.
  • To determine if observed variations in motor velocity exceed stochastic expectations for identical molecules.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of single-molecule velocity variations in vitro and in vivo.
  • Development of theoretical criteria to assess heterogeneity.
  • Grouping of motor traces into homogeneous sub-ensembles.
  • Motility studies under varying temperature, pH, and glycerol concentrations.
  • Monte Carlo simulations to explore functional consequences.

Main Results:

  • Observed motor velocity variation is larger than expected for identical motors.
  • Slow and fast motors exhibit persistent speed characteristics.
  • Evidence suggests at least two distinct functional states for kinesin motors.
  • External conditions like temperature and pH differentially affect these states.

Conclusions:

  • The assumption of homogeneous kinesin motor function is incorrect.
  • Kinesin motors display significant functional heterogeneity.
  • This heterogeneity, involving distinct functional states, has implications for intracellular transport regulation.