Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026
Surface Passivation for Single-molecule Protein Studies
Published on: April 24, 2014
Effects of surface passivation on gliding motility assays
Andy Maloney1, Lawrence J Herskowitz, Steven J Koch
1Department of Physics and Astronomy and Center for High Technology Materials, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America. amaloney@unm.edu
Abstract:
In this study, we report differences in the observed gliding speed of microtubules dependent on the choice of bovine casein used as a surface passivator. We observed differences in both speed and support of microtubules in each of the assays. Whole casein, comprised of α(s1), α(s2), β, and κ casein, supported motility and averaged speeds of 966±7 nm/s. Alpha casein can be purchased as a combination of α(s1) and α(s2) and supported gliding motility and average speeds of 949±4 nm/s. Beta casein did not support motility very well and averaged speeds of 870±30 nm/s. Kappa casein supported motility very poorly and we were unable to obtain an average speed. Finally, we observed that mixing alpha, beta, and kappa casein with the proportions found in bovine whole casein supported motility and averaged speeds of 966±6 nm/s.
