Walking to work: roles for class V myosins as cargo transporters

Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2011 Dec 7;13(1):13-26. doi: 10.1038/nrm3248.

Abstract

Cells use molecular motors, such as myosins, to move, position and segregate their organelles. Class V myosins possess biochemical and structural properties that should make them ideal actin-based cargo transporters. Indeed, studies show that class V myosins function as cargo transporters in yeast, moving a range of organelles, such as the vacuole, peroxisomes and secretory vesicles. There is also increasing evidence in vertebrate cells that class V myosins not only tether organelles to actin but also can serve as short-range, point-to-point organelle transporters, usually following long-range, microtubule-dependent organelle transport.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Actins / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Biological Transport
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism*
  • Dictyostelium / metabolism
  • Drosophila Proteins / metabolism
  • Drosophila melanogaster / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Myosin Type V / metabolism*
  • Organelles / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Actins
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Myosin Type V