Abstact

Dynein motors are biologically important bio-nanomachines, and many atomic resolution structures of cytoplasmic dynein components from different organisms have been analyzed by X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, and NMR spectroscopy. This review provides a historical perspective of structural studies of cytoplasmic and axonemal dynein including accessory proteins. We describe representative structural studies of every component of dynein and summarize them as a structural atlas that classifies the cytoplasmic and axonemal dyneins. Based on our review of all dynein structures in the Protein Data Bank, we raise two important points for understanding the two types of dynein motor and discuss the potential prospects of future structural studies.