title: The polymerization motor.
abstract: Polymerization and depolymerization of actin filaments and microtubules are thought to generate force for movement in various kinds of cell motility, ranging from lamellipodial protrusion to chromosome segregation. This article reviews the thermodynamic and physical theories of how a nonequilibrium polymerization reaction can be used to transduce chemical energy into mechanical energy, and summarizes the evidence suggesting that actin polymerization produces motile force in several biological systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5307, USA. theriot@cmgm.stanford.edu
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Theriot
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000378:metabolism*; D002465:Cell Movement; D004735:Energy Transfer; D007700:Kinetics; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D001704:Biopolymers; D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins