In search of membrane receptors for microtubule-based motors - Is kinectin a kinesin receptor?

The past few years have seen an explosion in the number of molecular motors reported in the literature. By using the energy of hydrolysis, these motors move various organelles along cytoskeletal 'tracks' within the cell. It is thought that some of the specificity of movement resides in the receptors on the surface of the cargo organelles, but, in general, little is known about these molecules. In this article, Janis Burkhardt discusses the evidence that the protein kinectin serves as a membrane receptor for kinesin, and describes how motor-receptor proteins may interact with other components of the motility machinery to generate regulated movement of membrane organelles.