# Myosin 18 and its role in skeletal muscle

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2024 · $400,428

## Abstract

Myosin 18 and its role in skeletal muscle: H. Lee Sweeney, P.I.
Abstract:
This project will investigate the structure and function of an unconventional myosin, myosin XVIII (Myo18). One
of the two forms Myo18 expressed in vertebrates, Myo18B, is critical for the generation of sarcomeres in
striated muscle. The other form, Myo18A is found in all cells, including muscle, where it may function in other
critical cellular processes that require Myo2 filament recruitment and organization, including the early stages of
sarcomere formation in striated muscle. Mutations that result in the loss of Myo18B result in myopathies in
humans. While Myo18 has been characterized as a non-motor, scaffolding protein, that aids in the assembly of
Myo2 filaments, we postulate that it is in fact an active motor protein subject to a novel form of regulation. Only
by understanding the design and function of this motor, and using those insights to probe sarcomere formation
in muscle cells, will we begin to understand the roles that Myo18 plays in striated muscle and ultimately in
other tissues.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10817064
- **Project number:** 5R01AR076999-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** H Lee Sweeney
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $400,428
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-04-01 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10817064

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10817064, Myosin 18 and its role in skeletal muscle (5R01AR076999-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10817064. Licensed CC0.

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