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Young Researcher's Seminar

Lecture Title Two independent mechanisms can generate movement of biomolecular motors
Date Friday 31 October 2025 15:00 to 16:00
Lecturer Mr. Shintaro Nakayama (NICT and University of Osaka)
Place

Yamate Building 3, 2nd floor, Large Meeting Room
Summary

Linear biomolecular motors, such as myosin, kinesin, and dynein generate reliable unidirectional movement on polarized cytoskeletal filaments. Two primary mechanistic models have been proposed. One—the power stroke mechanism—induces a large structural change that biases the binding position on the filaments. The other—the ratchet mechanism—proposes that directional bias arises during the detachment phase. Although experimental evidence supports both mechanisms, a unified understanding of directional motility remains elusive. This is because conventional analytical approaches are not well suited to distinguishing primary factors from secondary ones, making it fundamentally challenging to identify the mechanisms responsible for generating unidirectional movement. We thus explored the possibility that both mechanisms could be inherently present in a single motor, and set out to experimentally test this hypothesis using a constructive approach. Specifically, we constructed modified motors, engineered from natural biomolecular motors, in which the power stroke and the ratchet mechanisms were designed to generate movements in opposing directions, thereby competing with each other. Microscopic observation of these movements provided the first experimental demonstration that a biomolecular motor can operate via two distinct motility mechanisms.

 

For details, please refer to the PDF file.
Other Seminar will be given in Japanese.
Contact Ryota IINO(iino@ims.ac.jp)
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