Captivated by Kinesin

Few proteins have inspired as much curiosity as kinesin. Since its discovery 40 years ago, kinesin has become one of the best understood molecular machines in biology, yet it continues to reveal new questions about how cells organize and move their contents. Its study transformed not only our understanding of intracellular transport but also the way biochemical mechanisms can be investigated through microscopy. In this essay, I reflect on how I first encountered kinesin and how it taught me to watch cells and proteins directly, letting observation reveal nature's workings.

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Publication Details

Journal
Cytoskeleton
Published
2026-08-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/cm.70190
Primary Topic
Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Captivated by Kinesin

Ronald D. Vale
Cytoskeleton
Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
article

Captivated by Kinesin

Ronald D. Vale
article en

Abstract

Few proteins have inspired as much curiosity as kinesin. Since its discovery 40 years ago, kinesin has become one of the best understood molecular machines in biology, yet it continues to reveal new questions about how cells organize and move their contents. Its study transformed not only our understanding of intracellular transport but also the way biochemical mechanisms can be investigated through microscopy. In this essay, I reflect on how I first encountered kinesin and how it taught me to watch cells and proteins directly, letting observation reveal nature's workings.

Cytoskeleton
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US), Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (US), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 14%
Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
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