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Design and Construction of the Lawnmower, An Artificial Burnt-Bridges Motor

Kovacic, Suzana ; Samii, Laleh ; Curmi, Paul M. G. ; Linke, Heiner LU orcid ; Zuckermann, Martin J. and Forde, Nancy R. (2015) In IEEE Transactions on Nanobioscience 14(3). p.305-312
Abstract
Molecular motors of the cell are protein-based, nanoscale machines, which use a variety of strategies to transduce chemical energy into mechanical work in the presence of a large thermal background. The design and construction of artificial molecular motors is one approach to better understand their basic physical principles. Here, we propose the concept of a protein-based, burnt-bridges ratchet, inspired by biological examples. Our concept, the lawnmower, utilizes protease blades to cleave peptide substrates, and uses the asymmetric substrate-product interface arising from productive cleavage to bias subsequent diffusion on the track (lawn). Following experimental screening to select a protease to act as the motor's blades, we chemically... (More)
Molecular motors of the cell are protein-based, nanoscale machines, which use a variety of strategies to transduce chemical energy into mechanical work in the presence of a large thermal background. The design and construction of artificial molecular motors is one approach to better understand their basic physical principles. Here, we propose the concept of a protein-based, burnt-bridges ratchet, inspired by biological examples. Our concept, the lawnmower, utilizes protease blades to cleave peptide substrates, and uses the asymmetric substrate-product interface arising from productive cleavage to bias subsequent diffusion on the track (lawn). Following experimental screening to select a protease to act as the motor's blades, we chemically couple trypsin to quantum dots and demonstrate activity of the resulting lawnmower construct in solution. Accompanying Brownian dynamics simulations illustrate the importance for processivity of correct protease density on the quantum dot and spacing of substrates on the track. These results lay the groundwork for future tests of the protein-based lawnmower's motor performance characteristics. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Burnt-bridges, molecular motor, protein, quantum dot, trypsin
in
IEEE Transactions on Nanobioscience
volume
14
issue
3
pages
305 - 312
publisher
IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
external identifiers
  • wos:000355321100007
  • scopus:84930625344
  • pmid:25751869
ISSN
1558-2639
DOI
10.1109/TNB.2015.2393872
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
8bfc1379-f49d-4807-b651-ee119fcea2ff (old id 7411005)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:31:47
date last changed
2023-09-28 07:52:31
@article{8bfc1379-f49d-4807-b651-ee119fcea2ff,
  abstract     = {{Molecular motors of the cell are protein-based, nanoscale machines, which use a variety of strategies to transduce chemical energy into mechanical work in the presence of a large thermal background. The design and construction of artificial molecular motors is one approach to better understand their basic physical principles. Here, we propose the concept of a protein-based, burnt-bridges ratchet, inspired by biological examples. Our concept, the lawnmower, utilizes protease blades to cleave peptide substrates, and uses the asymmetric substrate-product interface arising from productive cleavage to bias subsequent diffusion on the track (lawn). Following experimental screening to select a protease to act as the motor's blades, we chemically couple trypsin to quantum dots and demonstrate activity of the resulting lawnmower construct in solution. Accompanying Brownian dynamics simulations illustrate the importance for processivity of correct protease density on the quantum dot and spacing of substrates on the track. These results lay the groundwork for future tests of the protein-based lawnmower's motor performance characteristics.}},
  author       = {{Kovacic, Suzana and Samii, Laleh and Curmi, Paul M. G. and Linke, Heiner and Zuckermann, Martin J. and Forde, Nancy R.}},
  issn         = {{1558-2639}},
  keywords     = {{Burnt-bridges; molecular motor; protein; quantum dot; trypsin}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{305--312}},
  publisher    = {{IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.}},
  series       = {{IEEE Transactions on Nanobioscience}},
  title        = {{Design and Construction of the Lawnmower, An Artificial Burnt-Bridges Motor}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TNB.2015.2393872}},
  doi          = {{10.1109/TNB.2015.2393872}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}