Study on the motile mechanisms for processive myosins with short legs using high-speed atomic force microscopy

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24770149
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biophysics
• Research Institution: Kanazawa University
• Principal Investigator: KODERA Noriyuki 金沢大学, バイオAFM先端研究センター, 准教授 (30584635)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: ミオシン / アクチン / モータータンパク質 / 一分子計測・走査 / 原子間力顕微鏡

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Myosin 6 and 10 are two-headed molecular motors that move along actin filaments. Intriguingly, it is known that these motors move with a large stride than that expended from their leg length. However, their functional mechanisms have not been elucidated yet, due to the lack of structural evidence. Here, we applied high-speed atomic force microscopy to directly observe their structural dynamics at high spatiotemporal resolution. Net wiggly processive movements with large and small strides performed by these myosins were directly visualized. The large stride was made by a lever-arm extension in their tail domain. The direct evidence obtained here should lead to better understanding the functional mechanism of these myosins.

Free Research Field

生物物理学