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Molecular motor traffic: From biological nanomachines to macroscopic transport

Author

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  • Lipowsky, Reinhard
  • Chai, Yan
  • Klumpp, Stefan
  • Liepelt, Steffen
  • Müller, Melanie J.I.

Abstract

All cells of animals and plants contain complex transport systems based on molecular motors which walk along cytoskeletal filaments. These motors are rather small and have a size of 20–100nm but are able to pull vesicles, organelles and other types of cargo over large distances, from micrometers up to meters. There are several families of motors: kinesins, dyneins, and myosins. Most of these motors have two heads which are used as legs and perform discrete steps along the filaments. Several aspects of the motor behavior will be discussed: motor cycles of two-headed motors; walks of single motors or cargo particles which consist of directed movements interrupted by random, diffusive motion; cargo transport through tube-like compartments; active diffusion of cargo particles in slab-like compartments; cooperative transport of cargo by several motors which may be uni- or bi-directional; and systems with many interacting motors that exhibit traffic jams, self-organized density and flux patterns, and traffic phase transitions far from equilibrium. It is necessary to understand these traffic phenomena in a quantitative manner in order to construct and optimize biomimetic transport systems based on motors and filaments with many possible applications in bioengineering, pharmacology, and medicine.

Suggested Citation

  • Lipowsky, Reinhard & Chai, Yan & Klumpp, Stefan & Liepelt, Steffen & Müller, Melanie J.I., 2006. "Molecular motor traffic: From biological nanomachines to macroscopic transport," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 372(1), pages 34-51.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:372:y:2006:i:1:p:34-51
    DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2006.05.019
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nieuwenhuizen, Theo M. & Klumpp, Stefan & Lipowsky, Reinhard, 2005. "Walks of molecular motors interacting with immobilized filaments," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 350(1), pages 122-130.
    2. Amit D. Mehta & Ronald S. Rock & Matthias Rief & James A. Spudich & Mark S. Mooseker & Richard E. Cheney, 1999. "Myosin-V is a processive actin-based motor," Nature, Nature, vol. 400(6744), pages 590-593, August.
    3. Melissa A. Gee & John E. Heuser & Richard B. Vallee, 1997. "An extended microtubule-binding structure within the dynein motor domain," Nature, Nature, vol. 390(6660), pages 636-639, December.
    4. Roop Mallik & Brian C. Carter & Stephanie A. Lex & Stephen J. King & Steven P. Gross, 2004. "Cytoplasmic dynein functions as a gear in response to load," Nature, Nature, vol. 427(6975), pages 649-652, February.
    5. Mark J. Schnitzer & Steven M. Block, 1997. "Kinesin hydrolyses one ATP per 8-nm step," Nature, Nature, vol. 388(6640), pages 386-390, July.
    6. N. J. Carter & R. A. Cross, 2005. "Mechanics of the kinesin step," Nature, Nature, vol. 435(7040), pages 308-312, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Chou, Y.C. & Hsiao, Yi-Feng & To, Kiwing, 2015. "Dynamic model of the force driving kinesin to move along microtubule—Simulation with a model system," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 433(C), pages 66-73.
    2. A.V. Kuznetsov & A.A. Avramenko & D.G. Blinov, 2008. "Numerical modeling of molecular-motor-assisted transport of adenoviral vectors in a spherical cell," Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(3), pages 215-222.
    3. López-Alamilla, N.J. & Challis, K.J. & Deaker, A.G. & Jack, M.W., 2023. "The effect of futile chemical cycles on chemical-to-mechanical energy conversion in interacting motor protein systems," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 615(C).

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