Abstract
Motor protein is essential for not only motive force but regulation and maintenance of membrane trafficking. In animal cell, various motors (mainly kinesins and dynein) are involved in trafficking. Surprisingly, in plant cell, only 2 classes of myosin (plant specific myosin VIII and XI) are involved in. However, they are composed of a lot of members, 4 members exist in myosin VIII and 13 members in myosin XI (Arabidopsis thaliana). Difference in amino acid or domain composition indicates the diversity in cargo binding and motility, regulation.
In order to identify individual functions, all myosin members (full length) were cloned from Arabidopsis. GFP fused myosins were transiently expressed in protoplast of Arabidopsis cultured cell. Live cell imaging revealed various distribution and motility among members. These results showed the wide diversity in plant myosin functions and possible unique and specific mechanisms in plant membrane trafficking.
