Molecular Motor - Examples

Examples

Some examples of biologically important molecular motors:

  • Cytoskeletal motors
    • Myosins are responsible for muscle contraction, intracellular cargo transport, and producing cellular tension.
    • Kinesin moves cargo inside cells away from the nucleus along microtubules
    • Dynein produces the axonemal beating of cilia and flagella and also transports cargo along microtubules towards the cell nucleus
  • Polymerisation motors
    • Actin polymerization generates forces and can be used for propulsion. ATP is used.
    • Microtubule polymerization using GTP.
    • Dynamin is responsible for the separation of clathrin buds from the plasma membrane. GTP is used.
  • Rotary motors:
    • FoF1-ATP synthase family of proteins convert the chemical energy in ATP to the electrochemical potential energy of a proton gradient across a membrane or the other way around. The catalysis of the chemical reaction and the movement of protons are coupled to each other via the mechanical rotation of parts of the complex. This is involved in ATP synthesis in the mitochondria and chloroplasts as well as in pumping of protons across the vacuolar membrane
    • The bacterial flagellum responsible for the swimming and tumbling of E. coli and other bacteria acts as a rigid propeller that is powered by a rotary motor. This motor is driven by the flow of protons across a membrane, possibly using a similar mechanism to that found in the Fo motor in ATP synthase.
  • Nucleic acid motors:
    • RNA polymerase transcribes RNA from a DNA template
    • DNA polymerase turns single-stranded DNA into double-stranded DNA.
    • Helicases separate double strands of nucleic acids prior to transcription or replication. ATP is used.
    • Topoisomerases reduce supercoiling of DNA in the cell. ATP is used.
    • RSC and SWI/SNF complexes remodel chromatin in eukaryotic cells. ATP is used.
    • SMC protein responsible for chromosome condensation in eukaryotic cells.
    • Viral DNA packaging motors inject viral genomic DNA into capsids as part of their replication cycle, packing it very tightly.
  • Synthetic molecular motors have been created by chemists that yield rotation, possibly generating torque.

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