title: Comparing guiding track requirements for myosin- and kinesin-powered molecular shuttles.
abstract: The design of nanoscale transport systems utilizing motor proteins as engines has advanced rapidly. Here, actin/myosin- and microtubule/kinesin-based molecular shuttles are compared with respect to their requirements for track designs. To this end, the trajectory persistence length of actin filaments gliding on myosin-coated surfaces has been experimentally determined to be equal to 8.8 +/- 2 microm. This measurement complements an earlier determination of the trajectory persistence length of microtubules gliding on kinesin-coated surfaces and enables a comparison of the accessible track designs for kinesin and myosin motor-powered systems. Despite the 200-fold smaller stiffness of actin filaments compared to that of microtubules, the dimensions of myosin tracks for actin filaments have to be quite similar to the dimensions of kinesin tracks for microtubules (radii larger than 200 nm and widths smaller than 0.9 microm compared to 600 nm and 19 microm). The difference in gliding speed is shown to require additional consideration in the design of track modules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematical and Design Engineering, Gifu University, Japan. nittat@gifu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nitta
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanahashi
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Obara
authors.forename: Motohisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Razumova
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Regnier
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hess
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004058:Diffusion; D016547:Kinesins / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D009218:Myosins / Q000737:chemistry*; D011817:Rabbits; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009218:Myosins; D016547:Kinesins