Search results for "Motor protein"
showing 4 items of 14 documents
Characteristics of the polymer transport in ratchet systems
2010
Molecules with complex internal structure in time-dependent periodic potentials are studied by using short Rubinstein-Duke model polymers as an example. We extend our earlier work on transport in stochastically varying potentials to cover also deterministic potential switching mechanisms, energetic efficiency and non-uniform charge distributions. We also use currents in the non-equilibrium steady state to identify the dominating mechanisms that lead to polymer transportation and analyze the evolution of the macroscopic state (e.g., total and head-to-head lengths) of the polymers. Several numerical methods are used to solve the master equations and nonlinear optimization problems. The domina…
Imaging of Keratin Dynamics during the Cell Cycle and in Response to Phosphatase Inhibition
2004
Publisher Summary The characterization and development of autofluorescent proteins, most prominently of the green florescent protein, have provided tools to label cellular structures such that they can be examined in living cells. This chapter highlights the potential of live cell imaging in providing novel and unprecedented insights into the dynamic organization of the keratin cytoskeleton and outlines the important aspects of this method. The live cell imaging experiments suggest that the driving force behind the vectorial and dynamic keratin distribution patterns relies both on microtubules and microfilaments and their associated factors. The studies on the dynamics of the keratin cytosk…
Huntingtin mediates dendritic transport of β-actin mRNA in rat neurons
2011
Transport of mRNAs to diverse neuronal locations via RNA granules serves an important function in regulating protein synthesis within restricted sub-cellular domains. We recently detected the Huntington's disease protein huntingtin (Htt) in dendritic RNA granules; however, the functional significance of this localization is not known. Here we report that Htt and the huntingtin-associated protein 1 (HAP1) are co-localized with the microtubule motor proteins, the KIF5A kinesin and dynein, during dendritic transport of β-actin mRNA. Live cell imaging demonstrated that β-actin mRNA is associated with Htt, HAP1, and dynein intermediate chain in cultured neurons. Reduction in the levels of Htt, H…
Echolocating Whales and Bats Express the Motor Protein Prestin in the Inner Ear: A Potential Marker for Hearing Loss.
2020
Prestin is an integral membrane motor protein located in outer hair cells of the mammalian cochlea. It is responsible for electromotility and required for cochlear amplification. Although prestin works in a cycle-by-cycle mode up to frequencies of at least 79 kHz, it is not known whether or not prestin is required for the extreme high frequencies used by echolocating species. Cetaceans are known to possess a prestin coding gene. However, the expression and distribution pattern of the protein in the cetacean cochlea has not been determined, and the contribution of prestin to echolocation has not yet been resolved. Here we report the expression of the protein prestin in five species of echolo…