Molecular determinants of myosin motor properties

肌凝蛋白分子是沿着细胞骨架肌动蛋白细丝产生机械力的生物机器。不同的肌球蛋白分子在运动特性上有很大的不同。据认为，这些运动特性的差异代表了它们各自不同的细胞功能的适应。我们想利用这些差异来弄清楚肌凝蛋白工作行程的大小是如何确定的，以及与肌凝蛋白相关的轻链是如何调节运动特性的。这些研究将有助于阐明肌球蛋白运动功能的基本化学机械机制，并有助于阐明其细胞功能。

Myosin molecules are biomachines that produce mechanical force along the cytoskeletal actin filaments. Different myosin molecules differ considerably in their motor properties. It is thought that these differences in motor properties represent adaptations to their individually different cellular functions. We want to exploit these differences to figure out how the size of the myosin working stroke is determined and how the light chains that are associated with myosins regulate the motor properties. These studies should help to elucidate the basic chemo-mechanical mechanisms of myosin motor function and aid in the elucidation of their cellular functions.