Molecular motor

Bibi Mohanan M.Tech , OEC Roll No: 7

Contents:   

Molecular motors Examples Experimental observation Optical Tweezer application

Molecular motors


biological molecular machines that are the essential agents of movement in living organisms motor :-device that consumes energy in one form and converts it into motion or mechanical work many protein-based molecular motors harness the chemical free energy released by the hydrolysis of ATP in order to perform mechanical work operate in the thermal bath
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Examples
  

Cytoskeletal motors Myosin is responsible for muscle contraction Kinesin moves cargo inside cells away from the nucleus along microtubules (towards cell periphery) Dynein produces the axonemal beating of cilia and flagella and also transports cargo along microtubules towards the cell nucleus
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Myosin VI (blue) is a molecular motor that walks "backwards" on filaments of actin (red).

 

 

Polymerisation motors Actin polymerization generates forces and can be used for propulsion. ATP is used. Microtubule polymerization using GTP. Dynamin is responsible for the separation of clathrin buds from the plasma membrane. GTP is used.

 

Rotary motors: FoF1-ATP synthase family of proteins convert the chemical energy in ATP to the electrochemical potential energy of a proton gradient across a membrane The catalysis of the chemical reaction and the movement of protons are coupled to each other via the mechanical rotation of parts of the complex The bacterial flagellum responsible for the swimming and tumbling of E. coli and other bacteria acts as a rigid propeller that is powered by a rotary motor This motor is driven by the flow of protons across a membrane
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Nucleic acid motors: RNA polymerase transcribes RNA from a DNA template DNA polymerase turns single-stranded DNA into doublestranded DNA Helicases separate double strands of nucleic acids prior to transcription or replication. ATP is used Topoisomerases reduce supercoiling of DNA in the cell. ATP is used SMC protein responsible for chromosome condensation in eukaryotic cells

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Experimental Observation


Fluorescent methods: fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) Magnetic tweezers :-analysis of motors that operate on long pieces of DNA Neutron spin echo spectroscopy:- observe motion on nanosecond timescales Optical tweezers :--studying molecular motors because of their low spring constants Single-molecule electrophysiology :-measure the dynamics of individual ion channels
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Optical tweezer application: 

 

Study movement of kinesin Kinesin binds to subcellular organelles such as chromosomes and transports them through the cytoplasm by pulling them along microtubules Molecular force clamp method:feedback-driven optical trap capable of maintaining a constant load (force) on a single kinesin molecule
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1. 2. 3.

 

Kinesin:Consists of two heavy chains Each consist of Force generating globular domain head long -helical coil small globular C-terminal domain (tail portion) Molecular tubules:Cylinders comprised of parallel protofilaments that are linear polymers of and -tubulin dimers
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Kinesin

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Kinesin

Microtubule

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used a kinesin-coated silica bead (diameter ~0.5mm) that trapped in a focused 1064-nm beam from a Nd:YVO4 laser using the objective lens of an inverted microscope The trap position within the specimen plane was specified using two digitally computer-controlled acousto-optic deflectors

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The bead positions were determined by focusing a low-power HeNe laser beam onto the optically trapped kinesin-coated silica bead measuring the deflected light in a plane conjugate to the back focal plane of the microscope condenser, using a quadrant photodiode arrangement

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Position measurement for kinesin-driven bead movement and the corresponding optical trap displacements at an ATP concentration of 2mM

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The results indicate kinesin stepping tightly coupled to ATP hydrolysis over a wide range of forces A single hydrolysis produces kinesin movement along a microtubule with an 8-nm step that coincides with the , -tubulin dimer repeat unit The progressive movement of kinesin was explained by a hand-over-hand mechanism in which one head remains bound to the microtubule, while the other detaches and moves forward
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Reference


  

Molecular motors a lesson in nanotechnology from Nature ,Roop Mallik Introduction to Biophotonics, Paras N Prasad Molecular motors, wikipedia Recent Advances in Optical Tweezers,Jeffrey R. Moffitt,1 Yann R. Chemla,Steven B. Smith, and Carlos Bustamante

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