What are specialized proteins called that use energy to change shape and move cells or structures within cells?

Motor proteins are specialized proteins that play a crucial role in cellular movement and transport. They convert chemical energy stored in ATP (adenosine triphosphate) into mechanical work, allowing them to change shape and facilitate movement. This movement can involve walking along cytoskeletal filaments, such as microtubules and actin filaments, to transport cellular cargo, including organelles, vesicles, and even entire cells.

Motor proteins are essential in processes like muscle contraction, intracellular transport, and cell division, showcasing their versatility and importance in maintaining cellular function. Their unique ability to harness energy and produce motion distinguishes them from other categories of proteins, such as structural proteins, which provide support and shape to cells, enzymatic proteins, which catalyze biochemical reactions, and receptor proteins, which are involved in receiving and transmitting signals in and out of the cell.