Myosin structure and regulation

Myosin is a motor protein found in every human cell. It is essential for the heart to beat, for muscles to contract, for platelets to form blood clots, in hearing, vision and many other functions. We know that there are over 40 different kinds of myosin, and that the individual properties of each myosin is exquisitely adapted for its cellular role. Mutations in the genes encoding these proteins lead to a wide range of diseases from heart disease to deafness and blindness. However, there are still many questions we have yet to find answers to about how the activity of these proteins is regulated. I plan to investigate three specific types of myosin, each associated with disease, to discover how these proteins are switched on and off, and when and where this happens in cells, to understand how mutations affect their normal cellular roles.