Myosin VI (MYO6) is localized to the Golgi complex and is expressed in the hair cells of the ear. It is a two-headed myosin with a short coiled-coil segment in its tail. The motor domain of MYO6 has two insertions. The gene encoding this protein is localized on chromosome 6q13.
Biochem/physiol Actions
Myosin VI participates in the generation of cell shape change, cell motility, membrane remodeling, and possibly in organelle and particle transport or tethering. It is also involved in membrane trafficking pathways in cultured mammalian cells where it is associated with the membrane ruffles and the trans-Golgi network. The unusual direction of Myosin VI movement may suggest that it brings materials or membranes into the cell. Its activity in tissue cultured cells is thought to be regulated by phosphorylation. A mutation in Myosin VI was described recently in human autosomal dominant non syndromic hearing loss.
