
Proceedings Paper
Optical trapping studies of acto-myosin motor proteinsFormat | Member Price | Non-Member Price |
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Paper Abstract
Optical tweezers have been used extensively to measure the mechanical properties of individual biological molecules. Over the past 10-15 years optical trapping studies have revealed important information about the way in which motor proteins convert chemical energy to mechanical work. This paper focuses on studies of the acto-myosin motor system that is responsible for muscle contraction and a host of other cellular motilities. Myosin works by binding to filamentous actin, pulling and then releasing. Each cycle of interaction produces a few nanometres movement and a few piconewtons force. Individual interactions can be observed directly by holding an individual actin filament between two optically trapped microspheres and positioning it in the immediate vicinity of a single myosin motor. When the chemical fuel (adenosine triphosphate or ATP) is present the myosin undergoes repeated cycles of interaction with the actin filament producing square-wave like displacements and forces. Analysis of optical trapping data sets enables the size and timing of the molecular motions to be deduced.
Paper Details
Date Published: 13 September 2007
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 6644, Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation IV, 66440B (13 September 2007); doi: 10.1117/12.736722
Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6644:
Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation IV
Kishan Dholakia; Gabriel C. Spalding, Editor(s)
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 6644, Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation IV, 66440B (13 September 2007); doi: 10.1117/12.736722
Show Author Affiliations
Rachel E. Farrow, MRC National Institute for Medical Research (United Kingdom)
Peter B Rosenthal, MRC National Institute for Medical Research (United Kingdom)
Gregory I. Mashanov, MRC National Institute for Medical Research (United Kingdom)
Peter B Rosenthal, MRC National Institute for Medical Research (United Kingdom)
Gregory I. Mashanov, MRC National Institute for Medical Research (United Kingdom)
Anthony A Holder, MRC National Institute for Medical Research (United Kingdom)
Justin E. Molloy, MRC National Institute for Medical Research (United Kingdom)
Justin E. Molloy, MRC National Institute for Medical Research (United Kingdom)
Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6644:
Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation IV
Kishan Dholakia; Gabriel C. Spalding, Editor(s)
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