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Processive cytoskeletal motors studied with single‐molecule fluorescence techniques
Author(s) -
Belyy Vladislav,
Yildiz Ahmet
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2014.05.040
Subject(s) - processivity , kinesin , microtubule , cytoskeleton , molecular motor , dynein , motor protein , biophysics , actin , myosin , fluorescence , nanotechnology , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , physics , materials science , biochemistry , optics , dna , dna replication , cell
Processive cytoskeletal motors from the myosin, kinesin, and dynein families walk on actin filaments and microtubules to drive cellular transport and organization in eukaryotic cells. These remarkable molecular machines are able to take hundreds of successive steps at speeds of up to several microns per second, allowing them to effectively move vesicles and organelles throughout the cytoplasm. Here, we focus on single‐molecule fluorescence techniques and discuss their wide‐ranging applications to the field of cytoskeletal motor research. We cover both traditional fluorescence and sub‐diffraction imaging of motors, providing examples of how fluorescence data can be used to measure biophysical parameters of motors such as coordination, stepping mechanism, gating, and processivity. We also outline some remaining challenges in the field and suggest future directions.