Published online August 4, 2008
doi:10.1083/jcb.1823iti2
The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol. 182, No. 3, 412-
The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525 $30.00
© 2008 Robinson
Two microtubules means one-way movement
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Tagged Eg5 tetramers (white) move directionally where microtubules overlap (between red dotted lines).
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For the microtubule motor Eg5, binding two microtubules gives it direction, say Kapitein et al.
Eg5, the vertebrate form of kinesin-5, moves along microtubules either randomly or directionally. In other kinesins, directionality is triggered when the motor binds to its cargo and to the microtubule track. But for Eg5, microtubules are both the track and the cargo, as both ends of the motor protein bind microtubules.
The authors showed that Eg5 moved predominantly randomly when bound to only one microtubule, but switched solely to plus end–directed movement when a second microtubule bound.
Eg5 is one of the main organizers of microtubules in the mitotic spindle, and its ability to slide antiparallel fibers along one another is crucial for pushing opposite poles apart. Alternatively, when encountering parallel fibers, it can "zip them together" if they are skewed, says co-PI Tarun Kapoor. He thinks the ability to move randomly on a single microtubule allows Eg5 to "explore" its environment for another microtubule, "dramatically increasing the efficiency of crosslinking."
Kapitein, L.C., et al. 2008. J. Cell Biol. doi:10.1083/jcb.200801145.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
Richard Robinson
rrobinson{at}nasw.org
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