Membrane-associated nanomotors for macromolecular transport

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• 作者：Elena Cabezon ; Val F Lanza ; Ignacio Arechaga
• 刊名：Current Opinion in Biotechnology
• 出版年：2012
• 出版时间：August, 2012
• 年：2012
• 卷：23
• 期：4
• 页码：537-544
• 全文大小：2212 K

文摘

Nature has endowed cells with powerful nanomotors to accomplish intricate mechanical tasks, such as the macromolecular transport across membranes occurring in cell division, bacterial conjugation, and in a wide variety of secretion systems. These biological motors couple the chemical energy provided by ATP hydrolysis to the mechanical work needed to transport DNA and/or protein effectors. Here, we review what is known about the molecular mechanisms of these membrane-associated machines. Sequence and structural comparison between these ATPases reveal that they share a similar motor domain, suggesting a common evolutionary ancestor. Learning how these machines operate will lead the design of nanotechnology devices with unique applications in medicine and engineering.