MYL7 Products

Myosins are a large family of motor proteins that share the common features of ATP hydrolysis, actin binding andpotential for kinetic energy transduction. Originally isolated from muscle cells (hence the name), almost alleukaryotic cells are now known to contain myosins. Structurally, mysoins contain a head domain that binds to actinfilaments (microfilaments) and is the site of ATP hydrolysis. The tail domain interacts with cargo molecules, and theneck acts as a linker between the head and tail and is the site of regulatory myosin light chain binding. There are 17myosin families and the most well characterized is myosin II. Myosin II is found predominantly in myocytes andmediates plus-ended movement along microfilaments. It is involved in muscle contraction through cyclic interactionswith actin-rich thin filaments, creating a contractile force. It is regulated by phosphorylation via myosin lightchain kinase (MLCK) and by intracellular Ca2+ concentrations.