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Myosin

Myosins are a large family of motor proteins found in eukaryotic tissues. They are responsible for actin-based motility. Most myosin molecules are composed of both a head and a tail domain. The head domain binds the filamentous actin, and uses ATP hydrolysis to generate force and to "walk" along the filament towards the (+) end (with the exception of one family member, myosin VI, which moves towards the (-) end). The tail domain generally mediates interaction with cargo molecules and/or other myosin subunits. Myosin II, responsible for skeletal muscle contraction, is perhaps the best-studied example of these properties. In muscle cells, it is myosin II that is responsible for producing the contractile force.

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