Kinesins and microtubules: their structures and motor mechanisms

Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2000 Feb;12(1):35-41. doi: 10.1016/s0955-0674(99)00054-x.

Abstract

Atomic resolution three-dimensional structures of two oppositely directed kinesin motors - conventional kinesin and non-claret disjunctional (ncd) protein - are now available in their functional dimeric form. A detailed model of the microtubule has also been recently obtained by docking the 3.7 A structure of tubulin into a 20 A map of the microtubule. Recent structural studies of kinesin motors and their microtubule tracks are contributing to our current understanding of kinesin motor mechanisms.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Dimerization
  • Drosophila Proteins*
  • Kinesin / chemistry*
  • Kinesin / metabolism*
  • Microtubules / chemistry*
  • Microtubules / metabolism*
  • Molecular Motor Proteins / chemistry*
  • Molecular Motor Proteins / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Protein Conformation

Substances

  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Molecular Motor Proteins
  • ncd protein, Drosophila
  • Kinesin