Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

ATP Synthase: Structure01:18

ATP Synthase: Structure

17.4K
ATP synthase or ATPase is among the most conserved proteins found in bacteria, mammals, and plants. This enzyme can catalyze a forward reaction in response to the electrochemical gradient, producing ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate. ATP synthase can also work in a reverse direction by hydrolyzing ATP and generating an electrochemical gradient. Different forms of ATP synthases have evolved special features to meet the specific demands of the cell. Based on their specific feature, ATP...
17.4K
ATP Driven Pumps III: V-type Pumps01:30

ATP Driven Pumps III: V-type Pumps

5.2K
V-type pumps are ATP-driven pumps found in the vacuolar membranes of plants, yeast, endosomal and lysosomal membranes of animal cells, plasma membranes of a few specialized eukaryotic cells, and some prokaryotes. They are also known as the V1Vo-ATPase, that couple ATP hydrolysis to transport protons against a concentration gradient.
The peripheral or cytosolic V1 domain with eight subunits is involved in ATP hydrolysis. The integral or transmembrane V0 domain containing at least five subunits...
5.2K
ATP Driven Pumps II: P-type Pumps01:34

ATP Driven Pumps II: P-type Pumps

6.8K
The P-type pumps are a large family of integral membrane transporter ATPases. They are divided into five major types based on substrate specificity, from I to V.
A typical P-type pump has three cytosolic domains: nucleotide-binding (N), phosphorylation (P), and activator (A) domains. These domains are connected to the membrane-spanning helices by short amino acid segments. ATP hydrolysis and covalent phosphoenzyme intermediate formation are crucial parts of the catalytic cycle. At the highly...
6.8K
Primary Active Transport01:29

Primary Active Transport

18.3K
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...
18.3K
Primary Active Transport01:47

Primary Active Transport

205.6K
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 that are embedded in the cell membrane. With energy from ATP, the pumps transport ions against their electrochemical gradients—a direction...
205.6K
ATP Driven Pumps I: An Overview01:27

ATP Driven Pumps I: An Overview

10.4K
ATP-driven pumps, also known as transport ATPases, are integral membrane proteins. They have binding sites for ATP located on the membrane's cytosolic side and the ion-conducting domain in the transmembrane region. These pumps use the free energy released from ATP hydrolysis to move the solutes across cell membranes against an electrochemical gradient.
There are four main types of ATP-driven pumps - P-type, V-type, F-type, and ABC transporter. All these pumps are of varying complexities and...
10.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Dual-stimuli responsive ionophore for OFF-ON-OFF transmembrane calcium ion transport and inter-vesicle signalling.

Chemical science·2026
Same author

Fluorescence Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles Using Single-Molecule Confocal Microscopy.

Small methods·2025
Same author

Unveiling Repulsion in Intramolecular H-Bonded Systems.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2025
Same author

Solvent Attenuation of London Dispersion in Polycyclic Aromatic Stacking.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2024
Same author

An active machine learning discovery platform for membrane-disrupting and pore-forming peptides.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2024
Same author

Context-Dependent Significance of London Dispersion.

Accounts of chemical research·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 28, 2026

Cardiac Muscle Cell-based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - Part 2
09:33

Cardiac Muscle Cell-based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - Part 2

Published on: May 9, 2017

9.2K

An Autonomously Reciprocating Transmembrane Nanoactuator.

Matthew A Watson1, Scott L Cockroft2

  • 1EaStCHEM School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Joseph Black Building, David Brewster Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FJ, UK.

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|December 15, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed a novel transmembrane nanoactuator. This molecular machine uses chemical fuel for autonomous, reciprocating nanomechanical motion, marking a significant advance in artificial molecular machines.

Keywords:
molecular machinesnanoporesnanotechnologynon-equilibrium processessingle-molecule studies

More Related Videos

Cardiac Muscle-cell Based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - PART 1
11:22

Cardiac Muscle-cell Based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - PART 1

Published on: July 11, 2017

8.6K
Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators
14:42

Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators

Published on: April 25, 2020

9.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 28, 2026

Cardiac Muscle Cell-based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - Part 2
09:33

Cardiac Muscle Cell-based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - Part 2

Published on: May 9, 2017

9.2K
Cardiac Muscle-cell Based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - PART 1
11:22

Cardiac Muscle-cell Based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - PART 1

Published on: July 11, 2017

8.6K
Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators
14:42

Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators

Published on: April 25, 2020

9.0K

Area of Science:

  • Nanotechnology and Molecular Machines
  • Supramolecular Chemistry
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Biological molecular machines function far from equilibrium, converting chemical energy into mechanical motion.
  • Previous artificial supramolecular systems demonstrated machine-like behavior, but membrane-spanning designs were limited to simple switches or stochastic motion.
  • True autonomous machine behavior in transmembrane assemblies remained an elusive goal.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design and demonstrate a transmembrane nanoactuator capable of autonomous reciprocating nanomechanical motion.
  • To utilize chemical fuel to drive continuous, directed movement across a membrane.
  • To achieve true machine behavior in a membrane-spanning artificial system.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a transmembrane assembly using a DNA/PEG copolymer threaded through an alpha-hemolysin pore.
  • Induction of directed motion via DNA strand displacement processes and enzyme-catalyzed reactions.
  • Monitoring of nanomechanical motion using ion-current recordings to detect conformational changes.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated autonomous, reciprocating (back-and-forth) nanomechanical motion of the transmembrane nanoactuator.
  • Observed characteristic saw-tooth patterns in ion-current recordings, indicative of ratcheted motion.
  • Achieved operational rates of up to one autonomous cycle per minute.

Conclusions:

  • Successfully engineered a designed transmembrane nanoactuator exhibiting true machine behavior.
  • The system autonomously converts chemical fuel into directed nanomechanical motion across a membrane.
  • This work represents a significant step towards creating complex, functional artificial molecular machines.