Activation of cytoplasmic dynein motility by dynactin-cargo adapter complexes

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1254198
• Publication Date: 2014-06-20T04:53:02Z
• Authors: Richard J. McKenney; Walter Huynh; Marvin E. Tanenbaum; Gira Bhabha; Ronald D. Vale
• Keywords: Adapter (computing); Dynactin

How dynein makes the right moves The molecular motor cytoplasmic a wide range of different intracellular cargoes. Dynein's activity in vivo requires another protein, dynactin, but exactly why that should be has been very unclear. Although vitro experiments have provided some evidence dynactin increases dynein's processivity, resulting motility never come close to matching cargo-transporting living cells. Now, McKenney et al. show tripartite complexes dynein, and an adaptor molecule are highly processive vitro, moving sort distances transports cargo (see Perspective by Allan). Science , this issue p. 337 ; see also 271