Kinesin pulls a subcellular component along a microtubule
Kinesin, shown as the green protein wrapping around the microtubule, binds to the microtubule and uses the energy in ATP molecules to move from the negative (-) end of the microtubule toward the positive (+) end of the microtubule. Each small step, requires the hydrolysis of one ATP molecule. Kinesin is the molecular motor which pulls things toward the outer reaches of the cell. In nerve cells, it is Kinesin which pulls vesicles or other cellular materials from the cell body to the nerve endings. Dynein, a closely related protein, moves cellular materials in the opposite direction along the same microtubules.