2009 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Understanding of cooperative actions between skeletal myosin molecules
| Project/Area Number |
20740238
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Biophysics/Chemical physics
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
KAYA Motoshi The University of Tokyo, 大学院・理学系研究科, 助教 (00422098)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2008 – 2009
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| Keywords | 生物物理 |
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| Research Abstract |
I have tried to capture the "true" mechanical properties of single skeletal myosins by measuring the displacement and force generated by single myosins arranged in myosin-rod cofilaments, which is more natural environment than the typical experimental setup designed in the previous single molecule studies. It was found that the elastic properties of single myosins is non-linear. When a myosin is stretched, it becomes stiffer so that it can generate a large amount of force with a small stretching, while it becomes much softer to reduce the resistance force when it is compressed. Therefore, the non-linear elasticity may be an ingenious mechanical property to achieve muscle contractions efficiently without the molecular interference between motors.
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