About this priority area BCB wishes to encourage responsive mode research grant applications on molecular motors.
Motors play a crucial role in many aspects of cell function.
They have a wide range of roles during interphase in processes as diverse as membrane trafficking and cell movement, and are also essential for the development of cell asymmetry. During cell division, they are responsible for establishing the mitotic or meiotic spindle, for segregating the chromosomes, and dividing the cell at cytokinesis. New members of these families are being discovered as genome sequences become available, and are also often identified via two-hybrid screens. A major challenge will be to understand fully the function of these proteins in cell biological, biochemical and structural terms, since they serve as key spatial co-ordinators linking cell structure with cellular function. The continued development of new bioimaging equipment and techniques is expected to increase the interest in this topic.