McLaughlin, R. TylerDiehl, Michael R.Kolomeisky, Anatoly B.2016-01-142016-01-142016McLaughlin, R. Tyler, Diehl, Michael R. and Kolomeisky, Anatoly B.. "Collective dynamics of processive cytoskeletal motors." <i>Soft Matter,</i> 12, (2016) Royal Society of Chemistry: 14-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5SM01609F.https://hdl.handle.net/1911/87818Major cellular processes are supported by various biomolecular motors that usually operate together as teams. We present an overview of the collective dynamics of processive cytokeletal motor proteins based on recent experimental and theoretical investigations. Experimental studies show that multiple motors function with different degrees of cooperativity, ranging from negative to positive. This effect depends on the mechanical properties of individual motors, the geometry of their connections, and the surrounding cellular environment. Theoretical models based on stochastic approaches underline the importance of intermolecular interactions, the properties of single motors, and couplings with cellular medium in predicting the collective dynamics. We discuss several features that specify the cooperativity in motor proteins. Based on this approach a general picture of collective dynamics of motor proteins is formulated, and the future directions and challenges are discussed.engThis is an author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The published article is copyrighted by the Royal Society of Chemistry.Journal articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5SM01609F