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The Role of Unconventional Myosins in Dictyostelium Endocytosis
Author(s) -
TITUS MARGARET A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of eukaryotic microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 1066-5234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2000.tb00038.x
Subject(s) - pinocytosis , dictyostelium , biology , dictyostelium discoideum , endocytic cycle , myosin , endocytosis , microbiology and biotechnology , phagocytosis , actin , cytoskeleton , molecular motor , pseudopodia , eukaryote , actin cytoskeleton , mycetozoa , biochemistry , cell , genome , gene
. Dictyostelium discoideum is a simple eukaryote amenable to detailed molecular studies of the endocytic processes phagocytosis and macropinocytosis. Both the actin cytoskeleton and associated myosin motors are well‐described and a range of mutants arc now available that enable characterization of the role of the cytoskeleton in a range of cellular functions. Molecular genetic studies have uncovered roles for two different classes of Dictyostelium unconventional myosins in endocytosis. The class I myosins contribute to both macropinocytosis and phagocytosis by playing a general role in controlling actin‐dependent manipulations of the actin‐rich cortex. A class VII myosin has been shown to be important for phagocytosis. This brief review summarizes what is known about the role of these different myosins in both fluid and particle uptake in this system.