7 Degrees of Mutant Makin'

As mentioned before, our goal is to map out the shapes (conformations) of the myosin motor by assemblying genetic 'families'--mutations that give rise to similar effects and which counter the effects of other familes. In the end, if our premises are sound, these familes should define critical points/contacts in the motor. This page sets out to demonstrate our plausibility and progress. The panel at the bottom of this page is a 'ribbon diagram' of the myosin motor. Each mutant will be referenced by name (e.g. G680V) and position (e.g. G7). The color of the position matches the region of the ribbon where the amino acid in question resides. A brief description of the mutation tells about its location, our biochemical knowledge of it, and its relationship with other mutations/positions. The list of mutations that interact with it genetically will also appear. (Note that this table might indicate other mutations that suppress the current one OR that are suppressed by it (and in many cases, both). Clicking on underlined residues will allow you to traverse the 'web of relationships'.To take it all in at once, click on The Big Picture. Alternatively, click on one of the interesting starting points available below:

This page also introduces a new feature, the "RearViewMirror". Clicking on a RearViewMirror icon (this one's a dummy and goes nowhere)will open a new window containing the image described in the mirror; if the mirror window is already open the button will change the image in it (you may need to select the appropriate window in the Netscape 3 Window menu, the Netscape 4 navigator menu or the Explorer 4 window menu. This feature works in Netscape 3 or 4 and Explorer 4. if it doesn't work for you, you can jump to the appropriate page using the 'Visit' text under the icon.