Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-2-2012
Publication Title
Science
Abstract
Cytoplasmic dynein and kinesin-1 are microtubule-based motors with opposite polarity that transport a wide variety of cargo in eukaryotic cells. Many cellular cargos demonstrate bidirectional movement due to the presence of ensembles of dynein and kinesin, but are ultimately sorted with spatial and temporal precision. To investigate the mechanisms that coordinate motor ensemble behavior, we built a programmable synthetic cargo using three-dimensional DNA origami to which varying numbers of DNA oligonucleotide-linked motors could be attached, allowing for control of motor type, number, spacing, and orientation in vitro. In ensembles of one to seven identical-polarity motors, motor number had minimal affect on directional velocity, whereas ensembles of opposite-polarity motors engaged in a tug-of-war resolvable by disengaging one motor species.
Volume
338
Issue
6107
First Page
662
Last Page
665
DOI
10.1126/science.1226734
ISSN
00368075
Recommended Citation
Derr, N. D.; Goodman, B. S.; Jungmann, R.; Leschziner, A. E.; Shih, W. M.; and Reck-Peterson, S. L., "Tug-of-War in Motor Protein Ensembles Revealed with a Programmable DNA Origami Scaffold" (2012). Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/bio_facpubs/221
Comments
Peer reviewed accepted manuscript.