What does myosin mean?
Myosin is a motor protein found in muscle and in many other cells. In muscle contraction, myosin molecules assemble into thick filaments, bind to thinner actin filaments, and use energy supplied by ATP to pull the filaments past one another. This coordinated action shortens the muscle and produces force. The word also refers more broadly to a large family of related proteins that move cargo, alter cell shape, and drive processes such as membrane trafficking and cell division. Myosin is consequently important both in physiology and in cell biology, where researchers study how molecular motors generate controlled motion. The word belongs primarily to specialist scientific and medical usage. In general descriptions of muscle function, it explains how chemical energy is converted into mechanical work at the molecular level.
nounMyosin is a family of motor proteins that bind to actin and use energy from ATP to generate movement or force. In muscle, myosin forms the thick filaments that interact with actin to produce contraction, while related forms of myosin perform movement in non-muscle cells.
- Any member of a diverse family of ATP-dependent motor proteins that bind to actin and convert chemical energy into movement or force.
- The principal muscle protein that forms thick filaments and interacts with actin during muscle contraction.
"As the myosin heads bind to actin and pull, the thin and thick filaments slide past one another and the muscle shortens."
"Myosin molecules walk along actin filaments, producing the force needed for muscle contraction."
"Researchers identified an unusual form of myosin that helps transport cargo along tracks inside cells."
The plural is used when referring to distinct myosin proteins or classes, especially in molecular biology.
"Different myosins perform specialized functions in muscle contraction, organelle transport, and cell division."
Every time you lift, walk, or even blink, tiny molecular motors called myosins are turning chemical energy into motion.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does myosin come from?
Myosin derives from the Greek mys, meaning "mouse," through the combining form myo-, also used in words relating to muscle. The protein name was formed with the suffix -in, commonly used in the names of proteins and other biochemical substances. The same Greek root appears in English words such as myocyte, myology, and myositis.
How myosin is actually used
In biology and biochemistry, "myosin" may refer either to the principal muscle protein or to the broader family of related motor proteins. The unqualified term is common in specialist writing but is specialized outside the life sciences.