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Interaction of kinesin motors, microtubules, and MAPs

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Abstract

Kinesins are a family of microtubule-dependent motor proteins that carry cargoes such as vesicles, organelles, or protein complexes along microtubules. Here we summarize structural studies of the “conventional” motor protein kinesin-1 and its interactions with microtubules, as determined by X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. In particular, we consider the docking between the kinesin motor domain and tubulin subunits and summarize the evidence that kinesin binds mainly to β tubulin with the switch-2 helix close to the intradimer interface between α and β tubulin.

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Abbreviations

MAP:

microtubule-associated protein.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft within the “Molecular Motors” priority program (SPP 1068).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Unit for Structural Molecular Biology, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany

    A. MARX, J. MÜLLER, E.-M. MANDELKOW & E. MANDELKOW

  2. European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany

    A. HOENGER

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  1. A. MARX
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  2. J. MÜLLER
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  3. E.-M. MANDELKOW
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Correspondence to E.-M. MANDELKOW.

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MARX, A., MÜLLER, J., MANDELKOW, EM. et al. Interaction of kinesin motors, microtubules, and MAPs. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 27, 125–137 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10974-005-9051-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10974-005-9051-4

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