Transport of Myosin II to the Equatorial Region without Its Own Motor Activity in Mitotic Dictyostelium Cells

Fluorescently labeled myosin moved and accumulated circumferentially in the equatorial region of dividing Dictyostelium cells within a time course of 4 min, followed by contraction of the contractile ring. To investigate the mechanism of this transport process, we have expressed three mutant myosins that cannot hydrolyze ATP in myosin null cells. Immunofluorescence staining showed that these mutant myosins were also correctly transported to the equatorial region, although no contraction followed. The rates of transport, measured using green fluorescent protein-fused myosins, were indistinguishable between wild-type and mutant myosins. These observations demonstrate that myosin is passively transported toward the equatorial region and incorporated into the forming contractile ring without its own motor activity.