scholarly journals Active and Unidirectional Acceleration of Biaryl Rotation by a Molecular Motor

Author(s):  
Edgar Uhl ◽  
Peter Mayer ◽  
Henry Dube

Light driven molecular motors possess immense potential as central driving units for future nanotechnology. Integration into larger molecular setups and transduction of their mechanical motions represents the current frontier of research. Here we report on an integrated molecular machine setup allowing to transmit potential energy from a motor unit unto a remote receiving entity. The setup consists of a motor unit connected covalently to a distant and sterically strongly encumbered biaryl receiver. By action of the motor unit single bond rotation of the receiver is strongly accelerated and forced to proceed unidirectionally. The transmitted potential energy is directly measured as the extent to which energy degeneration is lifted in the thermal atropisomerization of this biaryl. Energy degeneracy is reduced by as much as 2.3 kcal/mol and rate accelerations up to 2x10<sup>5</sup> fold in terms of rate constants are achieved.<br><b></b>

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Uhl ◽  
Peter Mayer ◽  
Henry Dube

Light driven molecular motors possess immense potential as central driving units for future nanotechnology. Integration into larger molecular setups and transduction of their mechanical motions represents the current frontier of research. Here we report on an integrated molecular machine setup allowing to transmit potential energy from a motor unit unto a remote receiving entity. The setup consists of a motor unit connected covalently to a distant and sterically strongly encumbered biaryl receiver. By action of the motor unit single bond rotation of the receiver is strongly accelerated and forced to proceed unidirectionally. The transmitted potential energy is directly measured as the extent to which energy degeneration is lifted in the thermal atropisomerization of this biaryl. Energy degeneracy is reduced by as much as 2.3 kcal/mol and rate accelerations up to 2x10<sup>5</sup> fold in terms of rate constants are achieved.<br><b></b>


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Xie

AbstractKinesin-8 molecular motor can move with superprocessivity on microtubules towards the plus end by hydrolyzing ATP molecules, depolymerizing microtubules. The available single molecule data for yeast kinesin-8 (Kip3) motor showed that its superprocessive movement is frequently interrupted by brief stick–slip motion. Here, a model is presented for the chemomechanical coupling of the kinesin-8 motor. On the basis of the model, the dynamics of Kip3 motor is studied analytically. The analytical results reproduce quantitatively the available single molecule data on velocity without including the slip and that with including the slip versus external load at saturating ATP as well as slipping velocity versus external load at saturating ADP and no ATP. Predicted results on load dependence of stepping ratio at saturating ATP and load dependence of velocity at non-saturating ATP are provided. Similarities and differences between dynamics of kinesin-8 and that of kinesin-1 are discussed.


Physiology ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 213-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caspar Rüegg ◽  
Claudia Veigel ◽  
Justin E. Molloy ◽  
Stephan Schmitz ◽  
John C. Sparrow ◽  
...  

Muscle myosin II is an ATP-driven, actin-based molecular motor. Recent developments in optical tweezers technology have made it possible to study movement and force production on the single-molecule level and to find out how different myosin isoforms may have adapted to their specific physiological roles.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 20140031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Reese ◽  
Anna Melbinger ◽  
Erwin Frey

The cytoskeleton is regulated by a plethora of enzymes that influence the stability and dynamics of cytoskeletal filaments. How microtubules (MTs) are controlled is of particular importance for mitosis, during which dynamic MTs are responsible for proper segregation of chromosomes. Molecular motors of the kinesin-8 protein family have been shown to depolymerize MTs in a length-dependent manner, and recent experimental and theoretical evidence suggests a possible role for kinesin-8 in the dynamic regulation of MTs. However, so far the detailed molecular mechanisms of how these molecular motors interact with the growing MT tip remain elusive. Here we show that two distinct scenarios for the interactions of kinesin-8 with the MT tip lead to qualitatively different MT dynamics, including accurate length control as well as intermittent dynamics. We give a comprehensive analysis of the regimes where length regulation is possible and characterize how the stationary length depends on the biochemical rates and the bulk concentrations of the various proteins. For a neutral scenario, where MTs grow irrespective of whether the MT tip is occupied by a molecular motor, length regulation is possible only for a narrow range of biochemical rates, and, in particular, limited to small polymerization rates. By contrast, for an inhibition scenario, where the presence of a motor at the MT tip inhibits MT growth, the regime where length regulation is possible is extremely broad and includes high growth rates. These results also apply to situations where a polymerizing enzyme like XMAP215 and kinesin-8 mutually exclude each other from the MT tip. Moreover, we characterize the differences in the stochastic length dynamics between the two scenarios. While for the neutral scenario length is tightly controlled, length dynamics is intermittent for the inhibition scenario and exhibits extended periods of MT growth and shrinkage. On a broader perspective, the set of models established in this work quite generally suggest that mutual exclusion of molecules at the ends of cytoskeletal filaments is an important factor for filament dynamics and regulation.


1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (22) ◽  
pp. 2896-2901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. McClelland ◽  
William F. Reynolds

Rate constants have been obtained for the acid-catalyzed N–H exchange of N-methyl, 2,N-dimethyl, and 2,4,6,N-tetramethylbenzamide and the acid-catalyzed isomerization of the three corresponding N,N-dimethylbenzamides. The ratio [Formula: see text] increases significantly with increased number of ortho methyl substituents. This is explained in terms of a suggestion of Perrin, that C—N bond rotation is not completely free in the N-protonated amide, since it must compete with a diffusion limited deprotonation reaction. The isomerization reaction, which requires such a rotation, is therefore slowed by ortho methyl substituents which hinder rotation, relative to the exchange reaction, which does not require rotation.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Woodward ◽  
E. Ostrander ◽  
S.P. Jeong ◽  
X. Liu ◽  
B. Scott ◽  
...  

AbstractMolecular motors have evolved to transduce chemical energy from adenosine triphosphate into mechanical work to drive essential cellular processes, from muscle contraction to vesicular transport. Dysfunction of these motors is a root cause of many pathologies necessitating the need for intrinsic control over molecular motor function. Herein, we demonstrate that positional isomerism can be used as a simple and powerful tool to control the molecular motor of muscle, myosin. Using three isomers of a synthetic non-nucleoside triphosphate we demonstrate that myosin’s force and motion generating capacity can be dramatically altered at both the ensemble and single molecule levels. By correlating our experimental results with computation, we show that each isomer exerts intrinsic control by affecting distinct steps in myosin’s mechano-chemical cycle. Our studies demonstrate that subtle variations in the structure of an abiotic energy source can be used to control the force and motility of myosin without altering myosin’s structure.Statement of SignificanceMolecular motors transduce chemical energy from ATP into the mechanical work inside a cell, powering everything from muscle contraction to vesicular transport. While ATP is the preferred source of energy, there is growing interest in developing alternative sources of energy to gain control over molecular motors. We synthesized a series of synthetic compounds to serve as alternative energy sources for muscle myosin. Myosin was able to use this energy source to generate force and velocity. And by using different isomers of this compound we were able to modulate, and even inhibit, the activity of myosin. This suggests that changing the isomer of the substrate could provide a simple, yet powerful, approach to gain control over molecular motor function.


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