Dyneins are multisubunit ATPases that participate in several important microtubule-based motilities in eukaryotic cells.

At its core, the motor is a ring-shaped object with two protruding levers: one engages cargo and might provide much of the force for movement, and the other interacts with the microtubule track. The activities of both levers are linked through nucleotide-dependent conformational changes in the ring.

Members

 cytoplasmic dynein heavy chains (DNCHs)

DNCH1

DNCH2

 cytoplasmic dynein light chains (DNCLs)

DCNL1

 axonemal dynein heavy chains (DNAHs)

DNAH1	DNAH2	DNAH3	DNAH4	DNAH5	DNAH6	DNAH7	DNAH8	DNAH9	DNAH10
DNAH11	DNAH12	DNAH13	DNAH14	DNAH15	DNAH16	DNAH17	DNAH18

 axonemal dynein intermediate chains (DNAIs)

DNAI1

Function

At its core, the motor is a ring-shaped object with two protruding levers: one engages cargo and might provide much of the force for movement, and the other interacts with the microtubule track. The activities of both levers are linked through nucleotide-dependent conformational changes in the ring.

Pathology of dyneins

 Kartagener syndrome (MIM.244400) : mutations in the axonemal dynein intermediate chain (DNAI1)(MIM.604366) (9p21-p13)

 primary ciliary dyskinesia (MIM.242650) (immotile cilia syndrome)

 situs inversus viscerum (MIM.270100) : mutations in axonemal heavy chain dynein 11 (DNAH11) (MIM.603339) (ch. 7)

See also:

 motor proteins

Animations

 Axonal transport: A movie from J Cell Biol

References

 Koonce MP, Samso M. Of rings and levers: the dynein motor comes of age. Trends Cell Biol. 2004 Nov;14(11):612-9. PMID: #15519850#

 Karcher RL, Deacon SW, Gelfand VI. Motor-cargo interactions : the key to transport specificity. Trends Cell Biol. 2002 Jan ;12(1):21-7. PMID : #11854006#

 Goldstein LS. Molecular motors: from one motor many tails to one motor many tales. Trends Cell Biol. 2001 Dec;11(12):477-82. PMID: #11719052#

 Asai DJ, Koonce MP. The dynein heavy chain: structure, mechanics and evolution. Trends Cell Biol. 2001 May;11(5):196-202. PMID: #11316608#