Controlled clockwise-counterclockwise motion of the ring-shaped microtubules assembly

Biomacromolecules. 2011 Oct 10;12(10):3394-9. doi: 10.1021/bm200829t. Epub 2011 Sep 13.

Abstract

The microtubule (MT)-kinesin system has been proposed as the building block of biomolecular motor based artificial biomachines. Considerable efforts have been devoted to integrate this system that produced a variety of ordered structures including the ring-shaped MT assembly which is being considered as a promising candidate for the further development of the biomachines. However, lack of proper knowledge that might help tune the direction of motion of ring-shaped microtubule assembly from counterclockwise to clockwise direction, and vice versa, significantly restricted their potential applications. We report our success in controlling the direction of rotational motion of ring-shaped MT assembly by altering the preparation conditions of microtubules. The change in the direction of rotation of MT rings could be interpreted in terms of the accompanied structural rearrangement of the MT lattice. For achieving handedness-regulated efficient biomachines having tunable asymmetric property, our study will be significantly directive.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Biotechnology / methods*
  • Biotin / chemistry
  • Biotin / metabolism
  • Biotinylation
  • Kinesins / chemistry*
  • Kinesins / metabolism
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Microtubules / chemistry*
  • Microtubules / metabolism
  • Motion
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / chemistry*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Rhodamines / analysis
  • Rotation
  • Swine
  • Tubulin / chemistry*
  • Tubulin / metabolism
  • Video Recording

Substances

  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Rhodamines
  • Tubulin
  • Biotin
  • Kinesins