Chemomechanical coupling and motor cycles of myosin V

The molecular motor myosin V has been studied extensively both in bulk and single molecule experiments. Based on the chemical states of the motor, we construct a systematic network theory that includes experimental observations about the stepping behavior of myosin V. We utilize constraints arising from nonequilibrium thermodynamics to determine motor parameters and demonstrate that the motor behavior is governed by three chemomechanical motor cycles. The competition between these cycles can be understood via the influence of external load forces onto the chemical transition rates for the binding of adenosine triphosphate and adenosine diphosphate. In addition, we also investigate the functional dependence of the mechanical stepping rates on these forces. For substall forces, the dominant pathway of the motor network is profoundly different from the one for superstall forces, which leads to a stepping behavior that is in agreement with the experimental observations. Our theory provides a unified description of the experimental data as obtained for myosin V in single motor experiments.