Kinesin motor activation: Microtubules pull the switches

摘要

Within the teeming interior of the cell, many molecular machines drive the essential processes of life. These nanomachines use cellular fuel-ATP-and, as also ought to be true for everyday macromachines, fuel efficiency is paramount. Thus the cell's nanomachines have evolved to use ATP only when they can couple it to essential work. A study published in PNAS (1) provides unprecedented detail of how one family of cytoskeleton-based nanomachines-the microtubule-tracking kinesins-achieves such fuel efficiency.