'Prima donna' protein doesn't work well in pairs

Friday, November 5, 2010 - 13:30 in Biology & Nature

Bioengineers have found that the workhorse proteins that move cargo inside living cells behave like prima donnas. These molecular-scale machines called kinesin are two-legged mechanical motor proteins. Using an especially sensitive set of tools, scientists measured the pulling power of kinesin both singly and in pairs. It seems that kinesins don't work well together -- in part because they are so effective on their own.

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