The mammalian dynein –dynactin complex is a strong opponent to kinesin in a tug-of-war competition

Nature Cell Biology 18, 1018 (2016).
doi:10.1038/ncb3393

Authors: Vladislav Belyy, Max A. Schlager, Helen Foster, Armando E. Reimer, Andrew P. Carter & Ahmet Yildiz
Kinesin and dynein motors transport intracellular cargos bidirectionally by pulling them in opposite directions along microtubules, through a process frequently described as a ‘tug of war’. While kinesin produces 6 pN of force, mammalian dynein was found to be a surprisingly weak motor (0.5–1.5 pN) in vitro, suggesting that many dyneins are required to counteract the pull of a single kinesin. Mammalian dynein’s association with dynactin and Bicaudal-D2 (BICD2) activates its processive motility, but it was unknown how this affects dynein’s force output. Here, we show that formation of the dynein–dynactin–BICD2 (DDB) complex increases human dynein’s force production to 4.3 pN. An in vitro tug-of-war assay revealed that a single DDB successfully resists a single kinesin. Contrary to previous reports, the clustering of many dyneins is not required to win the tug of war. Our work reveals the key role of dynactin and a cargo adaptor protein in shifting the balance of forces between dynein and kinesin motors during intracellular transport.

Source: Nature Cell Biology - July 24, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Vladislav Belyy Max A. Schlager Helen Foster Armando E. Reimer Andrew P. Carter Ahmet Yildiz Tags: Letter Source Type: research