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Regulation and function of the fission yeast myosins

East, Daniel A., Mulvihill, Daniel P. (2011) Regulation and function of the fission yeast myosins. Journal of Cell Science, 124 . pp. 1383-1390. ISSN 0021-9533. (doi:10.1242/jcs.078527) (KAR id:27699)

Abstract

It is now quarter of a century since the actin cytoskeleton was first described in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Since then, a substantial body of research has been undertaken on this tractable model organism, extending our knowledge of the organisation and function of the actomyosin cytoskeleton in fission yeast and eukaryotes in general. Yeast represents one of the simplest eukaryotic model systems that has been characterised to date, and its genome encodes genes for homologues of the majority of actin regulators and actin-binding proteins found in metazoan cells. The ease with which diverse methodologies can be used, together with the small number of myosins, makes fission yeast an attractive model system for actomyosin research and provides the opportunity to fully understand the biochemical and functional characteristics of all myosins within a single cell type. In this Commentary, we examine the differences between the five S. pombe myosins, and focus on how these reflect the diversity of their functions. We go on to examine the role that the actin cytoskeleton plays in regulating the myosin motor activity and function, and finally explore how research in this simple unicellular organism is providing insights into the substantial impacts these motors can have on development and viability in multicellular higher-order eukaryotes.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1242/jcs.078527
Subjects: Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Biosciences
Funders: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (https://ror.org/00cwqg982)
Depositing User: Daniel Mulvihill
Date Deposited: 20 Apr 2011 11:13 UTC
Last Modified: 12 Jul 2022 10:40 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/27699 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

East, Daniel A..

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Mulvihill, Daniel P..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2502-5274
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