Molecular Motor

A group of proteins known as molecular motors use cytoskeletal filaments to perform mechanical work by converting chemical energy.

• These proteins attach to a polarised cytoskeletal thread and travel slowly along it using the energy produced by periodic cycles of ATP hydrolysis.
• Every eucaryotic cell contains dozens of distinct motor proteins that coexist. They differ in how they attach to filaments (actin or microtubules), how they move along the filament, and what sort of "cargo" they are carrying.
• Many Motor Proteins transport membrane-enclosed organelles to the correct sites in the cell, including secretory vesicles, Golgi stacks, and mitochondria.
• Other ....