Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Author Spotlight: Unraveling the Role of Myosin-7a and Usher Proteins in Hearing and Human Disease
Published on: August 23, 2024
Discovery of myosin I and Pollard-san
Fumio Oosawa1,2,3,4
1Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan. fumio.SubmissionUseOnly@gmail.com.
Abstract:
In this short review, I describe a brief history of the discovery of myosin I isolated from Acanthamoeba in 1973 by Tom Pollard and Ed Korn. Today, myosins form a large "family tree" that includes more than 30 types of myosins. I discuss the importance of the relationship among actin, myosin, and other actin-binding proteins, many of which were pioneered by Pollard-san ("-san" is a Japanese honorific suffix showing respect, politeness and friendship). At the first conference devoted to actin, Pollard-san, Korn-san, and I discussed the importance of the nucleotide bound at the two ends of the actin filament. I conclude that life is a dynamic accumulation of molecule-molecule bindings, and although we do not yet know how they coordinate with each other to operate a living cell, many enthusiastic and excellent researchers like Pollard-san will unveil mechanisms that will show us what life really looks like.
More Related Videos
10:12A Sensitive and Specific Quantitation Method for Determination of Serum Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein-C by Electrochemiluminescence Immunoassay
Published on: August 8, 2013
08:57Myosin-Specific Adaptations of In vitro Fluorescence Microscopy-Based Motility Assays
Published on: February 4, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Actin and Myosin in Muscle Contraction
Drug Discovery: Overview
Overview of Myosin Structure and Function
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....
The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells
Master Transcription Regulators