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The Tumbleweed: towards a synthetic protein motor

Bromley, Elizabeth H. C. ; Kuwada, Nathan J. ; Zuckermann, Martin J. ; Donadini, Roberta ; Samii, Laleh ; Blab, Gerhard A. ; Gemmen, Gregory J. ; Lopez, Benjamin J. ; Curmi, Paul M. G. and Forde, Nancy R. , et al. (2009) In HFSP Journal 3(3). p.204-212
Abstract
Biomolecular motors have inspired the design and construction of artificial nanoscale motors and machines based on nucleic acids, small molecules, and inorganic nanostructures. However, the high degree of sophistication and efficiency of biomolecular motors, as well as their specific biological function, derives from the complexity afforded by protein building blocks. Here, we discuss a novel bottom-up approach to understanding biological motors by considering the construction of synthetic protein motors. Specifically, we present a design for a synthetic protein motor that moves along a linear track, dubbed the "Tumbleweed." This concept uses three discrete ligand-dependent DNA-binding domains to perform cyclically ligand-gated, rectified... (More)
Biomolecular motors have inspired the design and construction of artificial nanoscale motors and machines based on nucleic acids, small molecules, and inorganic nanostructures. However, the high degree of sophistication and efficiency of biomolecular motors, as well as their specific biological function, derives from the complexity afforded by protein building blocks. Here, we discuss a novel bottom-up approach to understanding biological motors by considering the construction of synthetic protein motors. Specifically, we present a design for a synthetic protein motor that moves along a linear track, dubbed the "Tumbleweed." This concept uses three discrete ligand-dependent DNA-binding domains to perform cyclically ligand-gated, rectified diffusion along a synthesized DNA molecule. Here we describe how de novo peptide design and molecular biology could be used to produce the Tumbleweed, and we explore the fundamental motor operation of such a design using numerical simulations. The construction of this and more sophisticated protein motors is an exciting challenge that is likely to enhance our understanding of the structure-function relationship in biological motors. [DOI: 10.2976/1.3111282] (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
HFSP Journal
volume
3
issue
3
pages
204 - 212
publisher
HFSP Publishing
external identifiers
  • wos:000267609800006
  • scopus:70350665969
  • pmid:19639042
ISSN
1955-2068
DOI
10.2976/1.3111282
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e9f6abd5-f444-4770-a1f0-0621b458cb43 (old id 1463189)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:55:47
date last changed
2022-01-27 08:23:44
@article{e9f6abd5-f444-4770-a1f0-0621b458cb43,
  abstract     = {{Biomolecular motors have inspired the design and construction of artificial nanoscale motors and machines based on nucleic acids, small molecules, and inorganic nanostructures. However, the high degree of sophistication and efficiency of biomolecular motors, as well as their specific biological function, derives from the complexity afforded by protein building blocks. Here, we discuss a novel bottom-up approach to understanding biological motors by considering the construction of synthetic protein motors. Specifically, we present a design for a synthetic protein motor that moves along a linear track, dubbed the "Tumbleweed." This concept uses three discrete ligand-dependent DNA-binding domains to perform cyclically ligand-gated, rectified diffusion along a synthesized DNA molecule. Here we describe how de novo peptide design and molecular biology could be used to produce the Tumbleweed, and we explore the fundamental motor operation of such a design using numerical simulations. The construction of this and more sophisticated protein motors is an exciting challenge that is likely to enhance our understanding of the structure-function relationship in biological motors. [DOI: 10.2976/1.3111282]}},
  author       = {{Bromley, Elizabeth H. C. and Kuwada, Nathan J. and Zuckermann, Martin J. and Donadini, Roberta and Samii, Laleh and Blab, Gerhard A. and Gemmen, Gregory J. and Lopez, Benjamin J. and Curmi, Paul M. G. and Forde, Nancy R. and Woolfson, Derek N. and Linke, Heiner}},
  issn         = {{1955-2068}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{204--212}},
  publisher    = {{HFSP Publishing}},
  series       = {{HFSP Journal}},
  title        = {{The Tumbleweed: towards a synthetic protein motor}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.2976/1.3111282}},
  doi          = {{10.2976/1.3111282}},
  volume       = {{3}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}