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Determinants of molecular motor directionality

Nature Cell Biology volume 1, pages E163–E167 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

Work over the past two years has led to a breakthrough in our understanding of the molecular basis of the directionality of the kinesin motor proteins. This breakthrough has come first from the reversal of directionality of the kinesin-related motor Ncd, followed closely by the reversal of kinesin’s directionality and the finding that the Ncd ‘neck’ can convert Ncd or kinesin, which are intrinsically plus-end-directed microtubule motors, into a minus-end motor. These findings raise several outstanding questions, foremost, how does the neck function in motor directionality?

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Figure 1: Directionality determinants of kinesin motors.
Figure 2: Neck residues of plus- and minus-end-directed kinesin motors.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the NIH. The figures were prepared by A. J. Kim.

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  1. Department of Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, 27710, North Carolina, USA

    Sharyn A. Endow

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Endow, S. Determinants of molecular motor directionality. Nat Cell Biol 1, E163–E167 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/14113

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