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Movement of myosin-coated fluorescent beads on actin cables in vitro

Nature volume 303, pages 31–35 (1983)Cite this article

Abstract

Myosin-coated fluorescent beads are observed to move unidirectionally along organized actin filament arrays in the alga, Nitella, with an average velocity similar to in vivo rates of movement in muscle and other cells. The myosin produces the motive force, as the movement is ATP dependent and is blocked by inactivation of the myosin heads. The movement, which occurs in the absence of bipolar thick filaments, provides a quantitative assay for myosin motility.

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  1. Michael P. Sheetz: Department of Physiology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06032, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Structural Biology, Sherman Fairchild Building, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305, USA

    Michael P. Sheetz & James A. Spudich

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  1. Michael P. Sheetz
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  2. James A. Spudich
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Sheetz, M., Spudich, J. Movement of myosin-coated fluorescent beads on actin cables in vitro. Nature 303, 31–35 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/303031a0

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