Measured Steps Advance the Understanding of Molecular Motors
APR 01, 1995
The origin of motion within our bodies has been traced to certain molecules that function as tiny motors. Recent experiments have been able to study individual motor molecules and to measure the size of the discrete, unidirectional steps they take and the force they exert.
DOI: 10.1063/1.2807970
Our bodies contain myriad motors to produce mechanical work. We’re only too aware of the muscles that propel our limbs or pump our hearts; less noticed are the minuscule molecular motors at the cellular level that accomplish such chores as transporting organelles. All these actions involve motor proteins, enzymes that convert the chemical energy stored in the molecule adenosine triphosphate—known as ATP—into mechanical energy. Exactly how they channel the energy into rectified motion remains a compelling mystery.
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© 1995 American Institute of Physics
