Issue 2, 2009

Models of protein linear molecular motors for dynamic nanodevices

Abstract

Protein molecular motors are natural nano-machines that convert the chemical energy from the hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate into mechanical work. These efficient machines are central to many biological processes, including cellular motion, muscle contraction and cell division. The remarkable energetic efficiency of the protein molecular motors coupled with their nano-scale has prompted an increasing number of studies focusing on their integration in hybrid micro- and nanodevices, in particular using linear molecular motors. The translation of these tentative devices into technologically and economically feasible ones requires an engineering, design-orientated approach based on a structured formalism, preferably mathematical. This contribution reviews the present state of the art in the modelling of protein linear molecular motors, as relevant to the future design-orientated development of hybrid dynamic nanodevices.

Graphical abstract: Models of protein linear molecular motors for dynamic nanodevices

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
28 Aug 2008
Accepted
07 Oct 2008
First published
09 Dec 2008

Integr. Biol., 2009,1, 150-169

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