Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
09:00
Cargo Loading onto Kinesin Powered Molecular Shuttles
Published on: November 3, 2010
Membrane-associated nanomotors for macromolecular transport
Elena Cabezon1, Val F Lanza, Ignacio Arechaga
1Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad de Cantabria, and Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, UC-SODERCAN-CSIC, C. Herrera Oria s/n, 39011 Santander, Spain. cabezone@unican.es
Current Opinion in Biotechnology
|December 23, 2011
Summary
Cells use molecular nanomotors powered by ATP hydrolysis for essential tasks like DNA transport. Understanding these biological machines could inspire new nanotechnologies for medicine and engineering.
Area of Science:
- Molecular biology
- Biophysics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Cells utilize sophisticated nanomotors for critical mechanical functions, including macromolecular transport across membranes.
- These processes are vital for cell division, bacterial conjugation, and various secretion systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the molecular mechanisms of membrane-associated biological nanomotors.
- To explore the evolutionary relationships and potential applications of these molecular machines.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of sequences and structures of ATPases involved in transport.
- Review of existing literature on cellular nanomotor function.
Main Results:
- Identified a conserved motor domain across different ATPases, suggesting a common evolutionary origin.
- Highlighted the role of ATP hydrolysis in powering mechanical work for effector transport.
Conclusions:
- Understanding these nanomotors provides insights into fundamental cellular processes.
- Knowledge gained can drive the development of novel nanodevices for medical and engineering applications.
Related Concept Videos
01:32Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins
Eukaryotic cells have different motor proteins for transporting various cargo within the cell. These motor proteins differ based on the filament they associate with, the direction they move within the cell, and the type of cargo they transport. Motor proteins that associate with microtubules are known as microtubule-associated motor proteins. There are two families of microtubule-associated motor proteins —Kinesins and Dyneins. Both these proteins assist in the transport of cellular cargos...
01:43The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles
In eukaryotic cells, cytoskeletal filaments such as actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments form a mesh-like cytoskeletal network. These filaments serve as tracks for transporting cellular cargo. Specialized motor proteins use the chemical energy stored in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for this transport. During interphase, microtubules are polarized, with the plus-end towards the cell periphery and the minus-end towards the cell center. Two microtubule-associated motor proteins,...
01:44Introduction to Membrane Traffic
The ER, Golgi apparatus, endosomes, and lysosomes work in tandem to modify, sort, and package proteins and lipids. An integrated membrane trafficking network facilitates the back and forth shuttling of molecules within different organelles in the same cell or across the cell membrane.
The transport of soluble and membrane proteins is mediated by transport vesicles that collect cargo from one cellular compartment and deliver it to another by fusing with the target organelle membrane. The Rab...
The transport of soluble and membrane proteins is mediated by transport vesicles that collect cargo from one cellular compartment and deliver it to another by fusing with the target organelle membrane. The Rab...
01:10Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria
Intracellular bacteria and viruses often comprise a group of highly infectious pathogens that can cause several diseases. Bacterial pathogens include those belonging to the genus Rickettsia responsible for conditions such as rocky mountain spotted fever and the Mediterranean spotted fever; Chlamydia, a genus responsible for a sexually transmitted disease; Coxiella burnetii, an agent responsible for Q fever. Viral pathogens include vaccinia—a poxvirus, and herpes simplex virus—a virus that...
01:29Primary Active Transport
In contrast to passive transport, active transport involves a substance being moved through membranes in a direction against its concentration or electrochemical gradient. There are two types of active transport: primary active transport and secondary active transport. Primary active transport utilizes chemical energy from ATP to drive protein pumps embedded in the cell membrane. With energy from ATP, the pumps transport ions against their electrochemical gradients—a direction they would not...
01:12Clathrin Coated Vesicles
Clathrin-coated vesicles use endocytosis to transport receptors and lysosomal hydrolases from the Golgi to the lysosome in the late secretory pathway. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis was the first described endocytic process, and Clathrin-coated vesicles remain one of the most well-studied transport vesicles. The molecular machinery that generates clathrin-coated vesicles comprises over 50 proteins that precisely coordinate vesicle formation. Cell surface receptors concentrated in indented sites...