Article Abstract:
Chromosome segregation in mitosis depends on the mitotic spindle, a bipolar protein machine that uses microtubules (MTs) and their motors. Members of the BimC subfamily that are of MT-motor proteins are vital for the formation and functioning of a normal bipolar spindle. KRP (sub 130), a homotetrameric BimC-related kinesin from the embryos of Drosophila melanogaster, possesses a unique ultrastructure that is composed of four kinesin-related polypeptides assembled into a bipolar aggregate with motor domains at both ends. This structure can crosslink and slide spindle MTs.
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Article Abstract:
The essential mitotic bimC-related KLP61F gene of Drosophila melanogaster encodes the bipolar kinesin, KRP(sub 130), that is involved in mitotic spindle separation. KRP(sub 130) is a homotetrameric complex of four motor subunits each with a relative molecular mass of 130,000 accumulated in a bipolar minifilament. The bipolar bimC motors are responsible for crosslinking and separating antiparallel microtubules. This leads to the separation of duplicated spindle poles and the accumulation of the bipolar spindle.
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Article Abstract:
Light microscopy instrumentation with low positional drift was used to observe kinesin derived single molecules, allowing objective distribution measurement. A statistics-based method was used to analyse the distribution and the data supported a fundamental enzymatic cycle for kinesin where a single ATP molecule has a step distance spacing of 8.12 nm.
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