Faithful segregation of genetic material during cell division is essential to all life on earth. In eukaryotes, the mitotic spindle – a bipolar array consisting of cytoskeletal filaments called microtubules – is the cellular machinery responsible for this function. The mitotic spindle requires both exquisite spatiotemporal organization and the generation...
The phragmoplast associated kinesin, PAKRP2, from the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana is categorized as an orphan, or ungrouped, kinesin due to structural divergences from the established 14 kinesin families. An early study on PAKRP2 found that it localized to the phragmoplast mid zone during the late stages of cell division...
Microtubules (MT) are highly dynamic cylindrical-like structures within cells whose growth is controlled by motor proteins, a class of biological machines that walk along the MT while simultaneously regulating MT growth. Here we are interested in the behavior of kinesin-14 motor proteins. Although processive behavior of kinesin-14 motors has been...
Cell division, arguably the most important event during the life cycle of the eukaryotic cell, is achieved through a complicated yet beautiful machinery. The mitotic spindle — a microtubule-based bipolar structure—is the cellular machinery responsible for the correct segregation of the genetic material, chromosomes. The protein-based nanomachines termed molecular motors...
Kinesins are intracellular motor proteins that transform chemical energy into mechanical energy through ATP hydrolysis to move along microtubules. Kinesin roles can vary among transportation, regulation, and spindle alignment within most cells. Many kinesin have been found to move towards the plus end of microtubules
at a steady velocity. For...
Dynein is a motor protein which transports cargo along tracks inside the cell. Like related motor proteins kinesin and myosin, dynein uses cellular energy to take steps with its two foot domains. Unlike kinesin or myosin, dynein’s stepping pattern is highly varied: it can take steps between zero and 60nm...
Dynein is a motor protein which transports cargo along tracks inside the cell. Like related motor proteins kinesin and myosin, dynein uses cellular energy to take steps with its two foot domains. Unlike kinesin or myosin, dynein’s stepping pattern is highly varied: it can take steps between zero and 60nm...
The microtubule (MT) "plus end" constitutes the platform for the accumulation of a structurally and functionally diverse group of proteins, collectively called "MT plus-end tracking proteins" (+TIPs). +TIPs control MT dynamics and link MTs to diverse sub-cellular structures. Neurospora crassa MicroTubule Binding protein-3 (MTB-3) is the homolog of yeast EB1,...
Using network architecture to describe a biological system is an effective organizational method. The utility of this approach, which generally applies to qualitative models, is enhanced by the addition of quantitative models characterizing the interactions between network nodes. A chromatophore-based signal transduction network is developed, and the highly interconnected major...