Myosin is a well-known, hexameric molecular motor that is a key cytoskeletal component. It consists of a pair of myosin heavy chain subunits (MHC), a pair of essential myosin light chain subunits (MLC), and a pair of regulatory light chain subunits (RLCs). Non-muscle myosin heavy chain 10 (also known as Myosin-IIB, cellular myosin heavy chain type B, and NMMHCB) is encoded by the MYH10 gene, while non-muscle myosin heavy chain II-A is encoded by the MYH9 gene. Myosin antibodies have been used to characterize variants and isoforms (1,2).
In non-muscle cells, myosin antibodies have also been used extensively to prove that myosin heavy chain II-B is involved in a wide variety of very fundamental cell motility processes such as cytokinesis, cell shape, secretion, and capping (1,2). Recent studies with myosin antibodies suggest that the cellular localization and phosphorylation of myosin heavy chain II-B through PAK (serine/threonine p21-activated kinase) modulates cell morphology and chemotaxis (3). Ben-Ya’acov, et. al. are also using myosin antibodies to investigate the role of EGF-mediated phosphorylation of myosin heavy chain II-B in chemotaxis in prostate metastatic tumor cells (4).
Novus Biologicals offers myosin reagents for your research needs including:
