Axonemal Dynein Light Chain Domain Containing Protein 1 (AXDND1)

The dynein motors undergo a cycle of activity, during which they form a transient attachment to the doublet, and push it towards the tip of the cilium or flagellum. The microscopy techniques currently available do not have sufficient resolving power to view this activity directly. Instead, movement of microtubules by the action of assemblies of isolated dynein arms activated by ATP can be studied in vitro. At a particular ATP concentration, microtubule gliding velocities are found to increase with microtubule length. By making appropriate assumptions about the system, it is possible to predict its behaviour using computer simulations. These simulations allow us to investigate certain properties of individual dynein molecules in addition to characterising the co-ordination of activity within the assembly of arms.