ISSN:
1432-0878
Keywords:
Key words Photoreceptor cells
;
Transport
;
intracellular
;
Cytoskeleton
;
Myosin
;
Actin filaments
;
Mitochondria
;
Schistocerca gregaria (Insecta)
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract Light stimulation of locust (Schistocerca gregaria) photoreceptors results in an actin-dependent translocation of mitochondria towards the photoreceptive microvilli and an antagonistic movement of endoplasmic reticulum towards the cell body. Using immunocytochemical techniques, we have tried to identify myosin-like motors that may drive the light-induced organelle motility. A monoclonal antibody against the motor domain of Acanthamoeba myosin identifies a prominent 110-kDa protein on Western blots of locust retina. Cross-reactivity with two polyclonal anti-myosin antibodies and a monoclonal anti-myosin-I-antibody, together with ATP-dependent binding to actin filaments, provides evidence that the 110-kDa protein is an unconventional myosin. By indirect immunofluorescence, the 110-kDa protein has been localized to both photoreceptors and pigment cells within the retina. In the photoreceptor cells, the 110-kDa protein is bound to the surface of mitochondria. This putative unconventional myosin may thus be a motor protein involved in the light-induced translocation of mitochondria in photoreceptors.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s004410051053
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