Kinesin Kar3 and Vik1 go head to head

Are coiled-coils of dimeric kinesins unwound during their walking on microtubule?

Dimeric kinesin motor proteins such as homodimeric kinesin-1, homodimeric Ncd and heterodimeric Kar3/Vik1are composed of two head domains which are connected together by a rod-shaped, coiled-coil stalk. Despite the extensive and intensive studies on structures, kinetics, dynamics and walking mechanism of the dimers, whether their coiled-coils are unwound or not during their walking on the microtubule is still an unclear issue. Here, we try to clarify this issue by using molecular dynamics simulations. Our simulation results showed that, for Ncd, a large change in potential of mean force is required to unwind the coiled-coil by only several pairs of residues. For both Ncd and kinesin-1, the force required to initiate the coiled-coil unwinding is larger than that required for unfolding of the single -helix that forms the coiled-coil or is larger than that required to unwind the DNA duplex, which is higher than the unbinding force of the kinesin head from the microtubule in strong microtubule-binding states. Based on these results and the comparison of the sequence between the coiled-coil of Kar3/Vik1 and those of Ncd and kinesin-1, it was deduced that the coiled-coil of the Kar3/Vik1 should also be very stable. Thus, we concluded that the coiled-coils of kinesin-1, Ncd and Kar3/Vik1 are almost impossible to unwind during their walking on the microtubule.

A coordinated molecular 'fishing' mechanism in heterodimeric kinesin

Kar3 is a kinesin motor that facilitates chromosome segregation during cell division. Unlike many members of the kinesin superfamily, Kar3 forms a heterodimer with non-motor protein Vik1 or Cik1 in vivo. The heterodimers show ATP-driven minus-end directed motility along a microtubule (MT) lattice, and also serve as depolymerase at the MT ends. The molecular mechanisms behind this dual functionality remain mysterious. Here, a molecular mechanical model for the Kar3/Vik1 heterodimer based on structural, kinetic and motility data reveals a long-range chemomechanical transmission mechanism that resembles a familiar fishing tactic. By this molecular 'fishing', ATP-binding to Kar3 dissociates catalytically inactive Vik1 off MT to facilitate minus-end sliding of the dimer on the MT lattice. When the dimer binds the frayed ends of MT, the fishing channels ATP hydrolysis energy into MT depolymerization by a mechanochemical effect. The molecular fishing thus provides a unified mechanistic ground for Kar3's dual functionality. The fishing-promoted depolymerization differs from the depolymerase mechanisms found in homodimeric kinesins. The fishing also enables intermolecular coordination with a chemomechanical coupling feature different from the paradigmatic pattern of homodimeric motors. This study rationalizes some puzzling experimental observation, and suggests new experiments for further elucidation of the fishing mechanism.

Cryo-electron tomography of microtubule-kinesin motor complexes

Microtubules complexed with molecular motors of the kinesin family or non-motor microtubule associated proteins (MAPs) such as tau or EB1 have been the subject of cryo-electron microcopy based 3-D studies for several years. Most of these studies that targeted complexes with intact microtubules have been carried out by helical 3-D reconstruction, while few were analyzed by single particle approaches or from 2-D crystalline arrays. Helical reconstruction of microtubule-MAP or motor complexes has been extremely successful but by definition, all helical 3-D reconstruction attempts require perfectly helical assemblies, which presents a serious limitation and confines the attempts to 15- or 16-protofilament microtubules, microtubule configurations that are very rare in nature. The rise of cryo-electron tomography within the last few years has now opened a new avenue towards solving 3-D structures of microtubule-MAP complexes that do not form helical assemblies, most importantly for the subject here, all microtubules that exhibit a lattice seam. In addition, not all motor domains or MAPs decorate the microtubule surface regularly enough to match the underlying microtubule lattice, or they adopt conformations that deviate from helical symmetry. Here we demonstrate the power and limitation of cryo-electron tomography using two kinesin motor domains, the monomeric Eg5 motor domain, and the heterodimeric Kar3Vik1 motor. We show here that tomography does not exclude the possibility of post-tomographic averaging when identical sub-volumes can be extracted from tomograms and in both cases we were able to reconstruct 3-D maps of conformations that are not possible to obtain using helical or other averaging-based methods.