Unconventional Myosins from <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a Probe to Study Human Orthologues
Unconventional myosins are a superfamily of actin-based motor proteins that perform a number of roles in fundamental cellular processes, including (but not limited to) intracellular trafficking, cell motility, endocytosis, exocytosis and cytokinesis. 40 myosins genes have been identified in humans,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Biomolecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/12/12/1889 |
| _version_ | 1797461236727676928 |
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| author | Chloe A Johnson Ranya Behbehani Folma Buss |
| author_facet | Chloe A Johnson Ranya Behbehani Folma Buss |
| author_sort | Chloe A Johnson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Unconventional myosins are a superfamily of actin-based motor proteins that perform a number of roles in fundamental cellular processes, including (but not limited to) intracellular trafficking, cell motility, endocytosis, exocytosis and cytokinesis. 40 myosins genes have been identified in humans, which belong to different 12 classes based on their domain structure and organisation. These genes are widely expressed in different tissues, and mutations leading to loss of function are associated with a wide variety of pathologies while over-expression often results in cancer. <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> (<i>C. elegans</i>) is a small, free-living, non-parasitic nematode. ~38% of the genome of <i>C. elegans</i> has predicted orthologues in the human genome, making it a valuable tool to study the function of human counterparts and human diseases. To date, 8 unconventional myosin genes have been identified in the nematode, from 6 different classes with high homology to human paralogues. The <i>hum-1</i> and <i>hum-5</i> (heavy chain of an unconventional myosin) genes encode myosin of class I, <i>hum-2</i> of class V, <i>hum-3</i> and <i>hum-8</i> of class VI, <i>hum-6</i> of class VII and <i>hum-7</i> of class IX. The <i>hum-4</i> gene encodes a high molecular mass myosin (307 kDa) that is one of the most highly divergent myosins and is a member of class XII. Mutations in many of the human orthologues are lethal, indicating their essential properties. However, a functional characterisation for many of these genes in <i>C. elegans</i> has not yet been performed. This article reviews the current knowledge of unconventional myosin genes in <i>C. elegans</i> and explores the potential use of the nematode to study the function and regulation of myosin motors to provide valuable insights into their role in diseases. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:16:32Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-273X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:16:32Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomolecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-bbe75b62305e403cb6160ab2cd64bc132023-11-24T13:35:08ZengMDPI AGBiomolecules2218-273X2022-12-011212188910.3390/biom12121889Unconventional Myosins from <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a Probe to Study Human OrthologuesChloe A Johnson0Ranya Behbehani1Folma Buss2Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UKCambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UKCambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UKUnconventional myosins are a superfamily of actin-based motor proteins that perform a number of roles in fundamental cellular processes, including (but not limited to) intracellular trafficking, cell motility, endocytosis, exocytosis and cytokinesis. 40 myosins genes have been identified in humans, which belong to different 12 classes based on their domain structure and organisation. These genes are widely expressed in different tissues, and mutations leading to loss of function are associated with a wide variety of pathologies while over-expression often results in cancer. <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> (<i>C. elegans</i>) is a small, free-living, non-parasitic nematode. ~38% of the genome of <i>C. elegans</i> has predicted orthologues in the human genome, making it a valuable tool to study the function of human counterparts and human diseases. To date, 8 unconventional myosin genes have been identified in the nematode, from 6 different classes with high homology to human paralogues. The <i>hum-1</i> and <i>hum-5</i> (heavy chain of an unconventional myosin) genes encode myosin of class I, <i>hum-2</i> of class V, <i>hum-3</i> and <i>hum-8</i> of class VI, <i>hum-6</i> of class VII and <i>hum-7</i> of class IX. The <i>hum-4</i> gene encodes a high molecular mass myosin (307 kDa) that is one of the most highly divergent myosins and is a member of class XII. Mutations in many of the human orthologues are lethal, indicating their essential properties. However, a functional characterisation for many of these genes in <i>C. elegans</i> has not yet been performed. This article reviews the current knowledge of unconventional myosin genes in <i>C. elegans</i> and explores the potential use of the nematode to study the function and regulation of myosin motors to provide valuable insights into their role in diseases.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/12/12/1889myosinmotor proteinnematodemodel organism |
| spellingShingle | Chloe A Johnson Ranya Behbehani Folma Buss Unconventional Myosins from <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a Probe to Study Human Orthologues Biomolecules myosin motor protein nematode model organism |
| title | Unconventional Myosins from <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a Probe to Study Human Orthologues |
| title_full | Unconventional Myosins from <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a Probe to Study Human Orthologues |
| title_fullStr | Unconventional Myosins from <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a Probe to Study Human Orthologues |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unconventional Myosins from <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a Probe to Study Human Orthologues |
| title_short | Unconventional Myosins from <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a Probe to Study Human Orthologues |
| title_sort | unconventional myosins from i caenorhabditis elegans i as a probe to study human orthologues |
| topic | myosin motor protein nematode model organism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/12/12/1889 |
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