The cytoskeleton and its many molecular motors are major players in a variety of cellular functions. The interconnected networks of cytoskeletal filaments act as tracks directing molecular motor transport and provide structural support and organization to cells. One example of a class of motor proteins is the myosin superfamily, a large family of proteins whose members are involved in diverse cellular processes, including cellular transport, migration and structure maintenance. Due to the force-dependent (pN), nanoscopic (1-100 nm) and often very fast (∼1-100 Hz) stepping mechanics of molecular motors, the investigation of these motor proteins requires high-resolution optical tweezers.
The Motor Protein application note shows the possibility of LUMICKS’ C-Trap® to observe myosin activity, the processive motion, the binding kinetics along actin, and to determine its thermodynamic properties at the single-molecule level.
Download the application note here.
