How Myosin 5 Walks Deduced from Single-Molecule Biophysical Approaches

Abstract

Myosin 5a is a two-headed myosin that functions as a cargo transporter in cells. To accomplish this task it has evolved several unique structural and kinetic features that allow it to move processively as a single molecule along actin filaments. A plethora of biophysical techniques have been used to elucidate the detailed mechanism of its movement along actin filaments in vitro. This chapter describes how this mechanism was deduced.