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Tracing entire operation cycles of molecular motor hepatitis C virus helicase in structurally resolved dynamical
Holger Flechsig1, Alexander S Mikhailov
1Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany. flechsig@fhi-berlin.mpg.de
Abstract:
Hepatitis C virus helicase is a molecular motor that splits duplex DNA while actively moving over it. An approximate coarse-grained dynamical description of this protein, including its interactions with DNA and ATP, is constructed. Using such a mechanical model, entire operation cycles of an important protein machine could be followed in structurally resolved dynamical simulations. Ratcheting inchworm translocation and spring-loaded DNA unwinding, suggested by experimental data, were reproduced. Thus, feasibility of coarse-grained simulations, bridging a gap between full molecular dynamics and reduced phenomenological theories of molecular motors, has been demonstrated.
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