Lynne M. Coluccio – författare

Few would have predicted 20 years ago that myosins constitute a superfamily with at least two-dozen classes and that these molecular motors are involved in a multitude of intracellular activities including cell division, cell movement, intracellular transport and signal transduction.

Few would have predicted 20 years ago that myosins constitute a superfamily with at least two-dozen classes and that these molecular motors are involved in a multitude of intracellular activities including cell division, cell movement, intracellular transport and signal transduction. Application of state-of-the-art cellular and molecular biological, structural biological, genetic, biochemical and biophysical techniques has provided and continues to provide critical information regarding the structure–function relationship; and the cellular roles of various myosins in organisms as diverse as protozoa, yeast, plants and higher animals. The association of myosins with diseases including neurological disorders, immu- deficiencies, cardiomyopathies, hearing and vision loss testify to the importance of understanding the biochemical properties and cellular roles of myosins. The 16 chapters in this volume summarize the tremendous progress made in studying members of the myosin superfamily in recent years and offer critical insight into what future research will yield. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the authors of this volume. It was a pleasure to work with each of you and I thank you for the considerable efforts in making this international endeavor possible. I also thank John Trinick from the University of Leeds, UK, for the elegant montage of images of single molecules of myosins on the cover, which beautifully shows the structures of some of these amazing molecules. The able assistance of Marlies Vlot from Springer and Indumadhi Srinivasan from Integra Software Services for production of the book is greatly appreciated.

Myosins are molecular motors that use the energy from ATP hydrolysis to move and exert tension on actin filaments. Although the best-known myosin is myosin II, which powers skeletal muscle contraction, there are at least two dozen classes of myosins, and cells generally express multiple isoforms. Myosins are involved in multiple cellular activities including cell structure, cell migration, intracellular trafficking, and cell-cell contact.Importantly, loss of function and mutation are associated with diseases including myopathies, hearing impairment, glomerulosclerosis, and cancer. Written by international experts in myosin motors and the approaches used to study them, this book is expected to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current status of our understanding of the structure and molecular mechanism of myosins and their cellular roles.