Title: Cryo-EM Reveals How Dynein Binds Dynactin and Cargo
Abstract: Cells depend on components being moved to the correct place at the correct time. My group is interested in cytoplasmic dynein-1 (dynein), a large molecular motor that transports cargos along the microtubule network. When dynein is mutated it leads to neurodegeneration and it is susceptible to hijack by viruses which use it to travel into the cell. We use cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to study how dynein works together with its essential, 23-subunit cofactor dynactin. The two complexes are brought together by an adaptor protein, Bicaudal-D2, which links them to Golgi vesicles. This suggests the large and intricate dynein/dynactin transport machine only assembles when a cargo is ready to move. It also raises the question of how dynein's many other cargos are carried.