Biologists re-create cellular transport system using DNA and protein

Ars Technica : Cells have evolved an internal transportation system of microtubules that a protein called kinesin uses to move other molecules. Adam Wollman of the University of Oxford and his colleagues adapted kinesin and microtubule molecules to build their own transport system. By creating sets of four linked kinesin molecules and mixing them in with a collection of microtubules, they made an interconnected mesh. The researchers then introduced the ATP molecule, which activated the kinesin molecules and drove them toward one end of the microtubule they are attached to. The result was a system of microtubules all radiating outward from a central hub. To demonstrate the ability of the system to transport molecules, Wollman and his team connected fluorescent-tagged DNA to kinesin molecules. They also engineered a molecule that unbound the DNA from the kinesin. Although the researchers have not produced a system for practical uses, they say it is an important proof-of-concept experiment that could be used for molecule assembly projects.