Dunn:Projects: Difference between revisions
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=<center>Understanding how myosin uses chemical energy to generate force and motion</center>= | =<center>Understanding how myosin uses chemical energy to generate force and motion</center>= | ||
[[Image:Dunnprojects1.jpg||thumb|300px|right|Above: We will use advanced particle tracking and optical trapping techniques to observe uncharacterized steps in the myosin force generating mechanism.]] | |||
Conventional myosin generates force in muscle, but other myosins play diverse biological roles, including transporting cargo throughout the cell. We will | Conventional myosin generates force in muscle, but other myosins play diverse biological roles, including transporting cargo throughout the cell. We will use sophisticated biophysical techniques to directly observe the motion of single myosin molecules in order to better understand how myosin converts chemical energy into useful motion. This project also has a more universal applicability. Recent work suggests that enzymes in general may derive their incredible catalytic ability by coupling protein motion to bond making and breaking. Single-molecule measurements on myosin offer a potentially powerful way to test this idea. | ||
=<center>Design of new motor proteins</center>= | =<center>Design of new motor proteins</center>= |
Revision as of 23:06, 19 July 2009
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Understanding how myosin uses chemical energy to generate force and motion
Conventional myosin generates force in muscle, but other myosins play diverse biological roles, including transporting cargo throughout the cell. We will use sophisticated biophysical techniques to directly observe the motion of single myosin molecules in order to better understand how myosin converts chemical energy into useful motion. This project also has a more universal applicability. Recent work suggests that enzymes in general may derive their incredible catalytic ability by coupling protein motion to bond making and breaking. Single-molecule measurements on myosin offer a potentially powerful way to test this idea.