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Updated: Nov 12, 2025

Controlling Flow Speeds of Microtubule-Based 3D Active Fluids Using Temperature
Published on: November 26, 2019
Temperature-Dependent Activity of Motor Proteins: Energetics and Their Implications for Collective Behavior
Saumya Yadav1, Ambarish Kunwar1
1Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India.
Abstract:
Molecular motor proteins are an extremely important component of the cellular transport system that harness chemical energy derived from ATP hydrolysis to carry out directed mechanical motion inside the cells. Transport properties of these motors such as processivity, velocity, and their load dependence have been well established through single-molecule experiments. Temperature dependent biophysical properties of molecular motors are now being probed using single-molecule experiments. Additionally, the temperature dependent biochemical properties of motors (ATPase activity) are probed to understand the underlying mechanisms and their possible implications on the enzymatic activity of motor proteins. These experiments in turn have revealed their activation energies and how they compare with the thermal energy available from the surrounding medium. In this review, we summarize such temperature dependent biophysical and biochemical properties of linear and rotary motor proteins and their implications for collective function during intracellular transport and cellular movement, respectively.
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