Cytoplasmic dyneins transport cellular components from the periphery toward the center of the cell. By moving cargoes along microtubules, dyneins ensure proper cell division, regulate exchange of materials between organelles, and contribute to the internal organization of eukaryotic cells. Two recent studies show that, upon dimerization, cytoplasmic dyneins intrinsically adopt an autoinhibited configuration that can be relieved by other factors to precisely control motor activity and regulate dynein-based transport.
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Acknowledgements
G.P. is supported by the Max Planck Society and S.M.K. by grant GM051293 from the US National Institutes of Health.
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Pigino, G., King, S. Switching dynein motors on and off. Nat Struct Mol Biol 24, 557–559 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.3429
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.3429
