Molecular motors, membrane movements and physiology: emerging roles for myosins

Myosins are a large family of structurally diverse mechanoenzymes which, upon interaction with actin filaments, convert energy from ATP hydrolysis into mechanical force. Consistent with the ubiquitous association of actin with membranes, many of these novel myosins are membrane-associated. In the past two years, evidence has emerged that suggests roles for actin-based molecular motors in a wide range of membrane phenomena such as cell locomotion, phagocytosis, secretion, organelle transport, signal transduction and mechanoregulation of membrane protein function.