分子马达定向运动的两态模型

采用非对称周期势来描述马达蛋白与具有周期性和极性的微丝轨道之间的相互作用,计算了马达蛋白两态模型的几率流和有效势之间的关系。计算结果表明：马达蛋白的定向运动不仅与有效势的整体倾斜密切相关,还与有效势的势垒高度有关。有效势倾斜等效于一个平均力的作用,而这一平均力的存在体现了两态跃迁细致平衡的破坏。同时将不同ATP浓度下力与速度的关系曲线与实验作了比较,这些曲线与实验定性吻合。     

驱动蛋白结构与运动机制

驱动蛋白是一类能够利用ATP水解释放的化学能驱动其所携带的“货物”分子沿着微管（microtubule,MT）定向运动的分子马达,在细胞器运输、有丝分裂、轴突运输等方面有着重要的生理作用。随着驱动蛋白结合ADP、ATP和未结合核苷酸（APO）三种特征状态的晶体结构的解析,驱动蛋白构象变化的研究得到了进一步发展,而在力产生机制和运动模型方面仍然存在较大争议。本文以kinesin-1家族为例,分析了驱动蛋白三种特征状态结构的特点、状态结构间的构象转变,论述了驱动蛋白的力产生机制和整个迈步过程。并探讨了驱动蛋白的运动模型,同时采用分子动力学模拟比较了驱动蛋白的两种迈步方式,为深入研究驱动蛋白提供了一定的理论计算。最后,基于本课题组对复杂体系的研究,对驱动蛋白体系的控制机制提出了新的假设,并对未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

驱动蛋白定向运动的动力学分析

将布朗粒子的定向运动,看作是系统受到外部非平衡涨落作用的结果,并建立相应的扩散模型。通过蒙特卡罗模拟方法,得到布郎粒子定向梯跳运动曲线。结果表明：非对称锯齿势,外部含时闪烁力及加性色噪声协调与联合作用,可使布朗粒子做梯跳或锯齿运动。作为一种可能的解释,将驱动蛋白Ｋｉｎｅｓｉｎｓ沿微管定向梯跳运动看作是上述协调作用的结果。     

运动与马达蛋白

运动与马达蛋白傅友兰,刘国琴（中国农业大学,北京１０００９４）你对拳击运动员的漂亮一击一定久久难以忘怀,你对雄鹰翱翔于天空、小虎奔跑于草原的优美动作一定赞叹不已,但你想过没有,这些运动是否也和马路上穿梭来往的机动车一样需要“马达”来驱动？除了我们每天...     

驱动蛋白在一种新的微管动力中可能的生物学作用

细胞器沿着微管的转运能够用分离出的成份重新建立,从而对这一复杂的运动过程得以进行生物化学的剖析.这一技术途径己导致一个新颖的、普遍存在的、以微管为基础产生动力的蛋白质的提纯,称之为驱动蛋白(Kinesin,源于希腊语运动).驱动蛋白的体外运动性质和免疫细胞化学定位提示,它可能作为细胞器转运和有丝分裂中微管依赖性运动的原动力而起作用.     

马达蛋白定向运动及能量转换效率的研究

通过建立非平衡涨落下的随机跃迁的两态模型,并利用非对称的周期势和Fokker-Planck方程及其本征值法计算两态模型的几率流和稳态几率流密。结果表明马达蛋白的定向运动与有效势的整体倾斜斜率有关,定性讨论了系统能量转换效率与负载有关。     

蛋白磷酸酶2A对微管的调控作用研究进展

微管是细胞骨架的主要成分之一,几乎存在于所有真核生物细胞之中,参与细胞众多生理功能。PP2A是真核生物体内存在最广泛的蛋白磷酸酶之一,可以调控大部分细胞生命活动,其中,包括微管所介导的许多生命活动。该文从以下方面介绍了PP2A在微管功能行使中的重要作用,包括PP2A参与微管蛋白翻译后修饰、调控分子马达和微管相关蛋白的活性、维持细胞周期中微管的动态平衡以及PP2A异常与微管类疾病的相关性。     

驱动蛋白的研究进展

驱动蛋白是一类典型的分子马达蛋白,它在胞内运输、有丝分裂、细胞形成、细胞功能等方面起着至关重要的作用.驱动蛋白不仅负责运输各种膜细胞器、蛋白复合体、mRNA等以保证细胞的基本活性,还在大脑的发育、记忆功能以及神经元的活性等方面扮演着极其重要的角色,可以说驱动蛋白是生命体系赖以生存的基础之一.     

低温对沙土鼠脑缺血后微管运动蛋白和结构蛋白活性的影响

目的：研究低温对脑缺血后沙土鼠微管运动蛋白(Kinesin）微管结构蛋白（microtubule associated protein 2,MAP2）活性的影响,并探讨二者活性变化与延迟性神经元死亡（delayed neuronal death,DND）的关系。方法：Kinesin和MAP2的活性应用免疫组织化学染色结合计算机图象分析的方法测定,DND应用病理检查方法判断。结果：低温明显减少脑缺血后的DND。前脑缺血再灌注后MAP2和kinesin活性随再灌注时间延长而进行性下降,且kinesin活性下降程度大于MAP2。低温明显减少脑缺血后MAP2和kinesin活性的下降程度。Kinesin活性下降的严重程度与脑缺血后DND的严重程度相一致。结论：低温可明显减少脑缺血后的DND,其机制与其减少脑缺血后运动蛋白kine-sin活性的下降有关。     

研究报告：改造颈部铰链区重塑驱动蛋白3的持续运动能力

目的 驱动蛋白3的颈部螺旋与其后的蛋白质序列相互关联,形成一个延长的颈部,其中包含一个特征铰链结构。该特征性铰链在不同的驱动蛋白中表现出多样性,在驱动蛋白KIF13B中,这个铰链仅由一个脯氨酸残基组成,而在驱动蛋白KIF1A中,则由一个长的柔性无规卷曲构成。然而,这个颈部铰链在控制驱动蛋白持续运动方面的功能仍不明确。方法 本文对KIF13B和KIF1A的颈部铰链区的氨基酸残基进行突变改造,并通过单分子运动实验研究铰链区突变对驱动蛋白运动行为的影响。结果 在KIF13B中,在铰链区——脯氨酸前后插入柔性残基对其运动的速度以及持续性都有不同程度的影响,而去除该脯氨酸则可以同时提高运动速度和持续性。在KIF1A中,删除整个柔性颈部铰链仅仅增强了其运动的持续性。同时,把驱动蛋白1的颈部铰链区用改造后的驱动蛋白3的颈部铰链区进行替换,同样能够提高驱动蛋白1的持续运动能力。结论 驱动蛋白3颈部铰链控制其持续运动能力,适当改造可以调整马达的运动行为,这为重塑驱动蛋白马达的持续运动提供了一种新策略。     

Processivity of single-headed kinesin motors

The processive movement of single-headed kinesins is studied by using a ratchet model of non-Markov process, which is built on the experimental evidence that the strong binding of kinesin to microtubule in rigor state induces a large apparent change in the local microtubule conformation. In the model, the microtubule plays a crucial active role in the kinesin movement, in contrast to the previous belief that the microtubule only acts as a passive track for the kinesin motility. The unidirectional movement of single-headed kinesin is resulted from the asymmetric periodic potential between kinesin and microtubule while its processivity is determined by its binding affinity for microtubule in the weak ADP state. Using the model, various experimental results for monomeric kinesin KIF1A, such as the mean step size, the step-size distribution, the long run length and the mean velocity versus load, can be well explained quantitatively. This local conformational change of the microtubule may also play important roles in the processive movement of conventional two-headed kinesins. An experiment to verify the model is suggested.     

Mcp1p tracks microtubule plus ends to destabilize microtubules at cell tips

Microtubule plus ends are dynamically regulated by a wide variety of proteins for performing diverse cellular functions. Here, we show that the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe uncharacterized protein mcp1p is a microtubule plus-end tracking protein which depends on the kinesin-8 klp6p for transporting along microtubules towards microtubule plus ends. In the absence of mcp1p, microtubule catastrophe and rescue frequencies decrease, leading to an increased dwell time of microtubule plus ends at cell tips. Thus, these findings suggest that mcp1p may synergize with klp6p at microtubule plus-ends to destabilize microtubules.     

Kinesin is involved in protecting nascent microtubules from disassembly after recovery from nocodazole treatment

Upon recovery from nocodazole treatment, microtubules from cultured epithelial cells exhibit unusual properties: they re-grow as fast as any highly dynamic microtubule, but they are also protected against disassembly when challenged with nocodazole like the stable microtubules of steady-state cells. Exploring the mechanism that underlies this protection, we found that it was sensitive to ATP treatment and that it involved conventional kinesin. Kinesin localized at the growing end or along nascent microtubules. Its inhibition using a dominant-negative construct for cargo binding, or by micro-injecting an anti-kinesin heavy chain antibody that impairs motor activity, resulted in the partial or total loss of microtubule protection. Finally, in an ex vivo elongation assay, we found that kinesin also participates in the control of microtubule re-growth. Altogether, our findings suggest that kinesin is involved in an early microtubule protection process that is linked to the control of their dynamics during their early growth phase.     

Millennial musings on molecular motors

In a universe that is dominated by increasing entropy, living organisms are a curious anomaly. The organization that distinguishes living organisms from their inanimate surroundings relies upon their ability to execute vectorial processes, such as directed movements and the assembly of macromolecules and organelle systems. Many of these phenomena are executed by molecular motors that harness chemical potential energy to perform mechanical work and unidirectional motion. This article explores how these remarkable protein machines might have evolved and what roles they could play in biological and medical research in the coming decades.     

Regulation of microtubule dynamics by kinesins

The simple mechanistic and functional division of the kinesin family into either active translocators or non-motile microtubule depolymerases was initially appropriate but is now proving increasingly unhelpful, given evidence that several translocase kinesins can affect microtubule dynamics, whilst non-translocase kinesins can promote microtubule assembly and depolymerisation. Such multi-role kinesins act either directly on microtubule dynamics, by interaction with microtubules and tubulin, or indirectly, through the transport of other factors along the lattice to the microtubule tip. Here I review recent progress on the mechanisms and roles of these translocase kinesins.     

Millennial musings on molecular motors

In a universe that is dominated by increasing entropy, living organisms are a curious anomaly. The organization that distinguishes living organisms from their inanimate surroundings relies upon their ability to execute vectorial processes, such as directed movements and the assembly of macromolecules and organelle systems. Many of these phenomena are executed by molecular motors that harness chemical potential energy to perform mechanical work and unidirectional motion. This article explores how these remarkable protein machines might have evolved and what roles they could play in biological and medical research in the coming decades.     

Millennial musings on molecular motors

In a universe that is dominated by increasing entropy, living organisms are a curious anomaly. The organization that distinguishes living organisms from their inanimate surroundings relies upon their ability to execute vectorial processes, such as directed movements and the assembly of macromolecules and organelle systems. Many of these phenomena are executed by molecular motors that harness chemical potential energy to perform mechanical work and unidirectional motion. This article explores how these remarkable protein machines might have evolved and what roles they could play in biological and medical research in the coming decades.     

Identification of Ncd tail domain-binding sites on the tubulin dimer

The Drosophila non-claret disjunctional (Ncd) kinesin-like protein is required for spindle assembly in oocytes and spindle maintenance in early embryos. Through the action of ATP-dependent microtubule (MT)-binding sites in the head and ATP-independent MT-binding sites in the tail, Ncd may bundle and, perhaps, slide MTs relative to each other. Our previous work on the MT-binding site of the Ncd tail domain demonstrated that this site, like the MT-binding sites of tau, contains basic residues flanked by proline residues and can promote MT assembly and stability. Here, we characterize the interactions of a monomeric Ncd tail protein with subtilisin-digested MTs in order to identify sites on the tubulin dimer that interact with the Ncd tail. The results provide evidence for four such binding sites per tubulin dimer and support the hypothesis that each binding site consists of a cluster of acidic residues in the C-terminal regions of alpha- and beta-tubulin.     

Localization of two homologous Arabidopsis kinesin-related proteins in the phragmoplast

During plant cytokinesis, kinesin-related motor proteins are believed to play critical roles in microtubule organization and vesicle transport in the phragmoplast. Previously, we reported that the motor AtPAKRP1 was associated with the plus end of phragmoplast microtubules in Arabidopsis thaliana [Lee Y-RJ, Liu B (2000) Curr Biol 10:797–800]. In this paper, we report a full-length cDNA from the same organism, which encodes a polypeptide 74% identical to AtPAKRP1. This AtPAKRP1-like protein—AtPAKRP1L—and AtPAKRP1 share similar domain structures along the polypeptides. Peptide antibodies were raised and purified to distinguish the two polypeptides in vitro and in vivo. When monospecific anti-AtPAKRP1 and anti-AtPAKRP1L antibodies were used in immunofluorescence, they both decorated the plus end of phragmoplast microtubules at all stages of phragmoplast development. Their localization patterns were indistinguishable from each other. By using bacterially expressed fusion proteins of motor-less versions of both polypeptides, it was revealed that AtPAKRP1 and AtPAKRP1L were able to interact with themselves and with each other. Using T-DNA insertional mutants, it was also demonstrated that AtPAKRP1 and AtPAKRP1L were not required for each others localization. Our results therefore indicate that AtPAKRP1 and AtPAKRP1L are both expressed in the same cells, and likely have identical functions in the phragmoplast by forming either homodimers or heterodimers.Abbreviations AtPAKRP1 Arabidopsis thaliana phragmoplast-associated kinesin-related protein 1 - AtPAKRP1L A. thaliana phragmoplast-associated kinesin-related protein 1-like - GST Glutathione S-transferase - KRP Kinesin-related protein - 6×His Six-histidine tag