ELASTICITY OF KINESIN UNDER ROTARY AND LINEAR FORCES

了解任何电机的工作原理需要指定电机的机械部件，并确定这些部件在产生力的过程中如何移动和相互作用。运动蛋白为肌肉收缩提供动力，推动游动的精子，并在细胞中携带细胞器，其内部工作原理尚不清楚。本研究旨在揭示运动蛋白运动蛋白的机械弹性成分。具体目的是：测量(1)扭转力、(2)纵向力、(3)拉伸力作用下kinesin的弹性，定位相应的分子柔顺元件，并评价这些外力对kinesin力产生的影响。光学镊子和校准力纤维将用于测量单分子的力和位移，以表征运动弹性特性。重组蛋白表达技术将用于鉴定弹性成分。在这个建议中获得的信息可以用来建立一个运动机器的运行模型。

Understanding how any motor works requires specifying the motor's mechanical components and determining how these components move and interact during the force-generating process. The internal workings of motor proteins, which power muscle contraction, propel swimming sperm, and carry organelles along tracks in cells, are not understood. This proposal intends to reveal the mechanical elastic components of the motor protein kinesin. The specific aims are: to measure the elasticity of kinesin under (1) torsional, (2) longitudinal, and (3) extensional forces, to locate the corresponding molecular compliant elements, and to evaluate the impact of these external forces on kinesin force generation. Optical tweezers and calibrated force fibers will be used to measure force and displacement of single-molecules for the characterization of motor elastic properties. Recombinant protein expression techniques will be utilized to identify the elastic components. The information obtained in this proposal can be used to develop a model for operation of the kinesin machine.