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Related Concept Videos

Mechanical Protein Functions01:58

Mechanical Protein Functions

Proteins perform many mechanical functions in a cell. These proteins can be classified into two general categories- proteins that generate mechanical forces and proteins that are subjected to mechanical forces. Proteins providing mechanical support to the structure of the cell, such as keratin, are subjected to mechanical force, whereas proteins involved in cell movement and transport of molecules across cell membranes, such as an ion pump, are examples of generating mechanical force. 
Introduction to Mechanisms of Enzyme Catalysis01:13

Introduction to Mechanisms of Enzyme Catalysis

For many years, scientists thought that enzyme-substrate binding took place in a simple "lock-and-key" fashion. This model stated that the enzyme and substrate fit together perfectly in one instantaneous step. However, current research supports a more refined view scientists call induced fit. The induced-fit model expands upon the lock-and-key model by describing a more dynamic interaction between enzyme and substrate. As the enzyme and substrate come together, their interaction causes a mild...
Introduction to Mechanisms of Enzyme Catalysis01:13

Introduction to Mechanisms of Enzyme Catalysis

For many years, scientists thought that enzyme-substrate binding took place in a simple "lock-and-key" fashion. This model stated that the enzyme and substrate fit together perfectly in one instantaneous step. However, current research supports a more refined view scientists call induced fit. The induced-fit model expands upon the lock-and-key model by describing a more dynamic interaction between enzyme and substrate. As the enzyme and substrate come together, their interaction causes a mild...
Enzyme Kinetics01:19

Enzyme Kinetics

Enzymes speed up reactions by lowering the activation energy of the reactants. The speed at which the enzyme turns reactants into products is called the rate of reaction. Several factors impact the rate of reaction, including the number of available reactants. Enzyme kinetics is the study of how an enzyme changes the rate of a reaction.
Scientists typically study enzyme kinetics with a fixed amount of enzyme in the controlled environment of a test tube. When more reactant, or substrate, is...
Tension Response at Adherens Junctions01:26

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The adherens junctions that anchor cells together are multi-protein complexes that dynamically adapt to mechanical stimuli such as tensile forces and shear stress. Mechanosensory proteins in these junctions can sense such mechanical stimuli and undergo a shift in their conformation, resulting in an altered function — a process called mechanotransduction.
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin homology) domains...
Mechanically-gated Ion Channels01:12

Mechanically-gated Ion Channels

Mechanically-gated ion channels are proteins found in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell membranes that open in response to mechanical stress. Tension, compression, swelling, and shear stress can alter the conformation of the protein, opening a transmembrane channel that allows the passage of ions for signal transmission. In eukaryotes, mechanically-gated channels are distributed in several regions like the neurons, lungs, skin, bladder, and heart, where they play critical roles in numerous...

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Dissecting Mechanoenzymatic Properties of Processive Myosins with Ultrafast Force-Clamp Spectroscopy
09:38

Dissecting Mechanoenzymatic Properties of Processive Myosins with Ultrafast Force-Clamp Spectroscopy

Published on: July 1, 2021

Single-molecule mechanoenzymatics.

Elias M Puchner1, Hermann E Gaub

  • 1Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, USA. elias.puchner@ucsf.edu

Annual Review of Biophysics
|May 15, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Single-molecule force spectroscopy reveals how cells sense mechanical force through mechanoenzymes. This technique precisely measures force-induced conformational changes, uncovering molecular mechanisms for cellular signaling.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cellular Signaling

Background:

  • Cellular signaling networks depend on molecular recognition for stimulus detection and response.
  • Understanding how mechanical force is sensed and transduced into biochemical signals is crucial for cell biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of force sensing by mechanoenzymes.
  • To investigate how mechanical forces are translated into biochemical signals within cellular networks.
  • To highlight advances in single-molecule mechanoenzymatics for studying these processes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing single-molecule force spectroscopy to stretch mechanobiochemical converters.
  • Measuring complex mechanical activation pathways and subsequent biochemical reactions dynamically and precisely.
  • Employing newly developed strategies to test conformational states and elucidate mechanical architectures.

Main Results:

  • Identified well-tuned force-induced conformational changes as a common mechanism for force sensing.
  • Demonstrated that these conformational changes lead to the exposure of active recognition sites.
  • Showcased the ability to precisely measure mechanical activation pathways and biochemical responses.

Conclusions:

  • Single-molecule force spectroscopy provides unprecedented insight into mechanoenzymatic processes.
  • Force-induced conformational changes are key to specific mechanical activation of cellular signaling.
  • This field offers complementary approaches to bulk and in vivo studies for understanding mechanobiology.