Title: A mechanochemical theory for the ATP-fuelled biomolecular motors

Authors: Ming S. Liu, B.D. Todd, Richard J. Sadus

Addresses: Centre for Molecular Simulation, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia; CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences, Private Bag 33, Clayton South 3169, Australia. ' Centre for Molecular Simulation, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia. ' Centre for Molecular Simulation, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia

Abstract: Biomolecular motors are normally single or complex biomolecules exerting mechanical forces over molecular and cellular scales. The ATP-fuelled biomolecular motors can transduce the chemical energy from ATP hydrolysis into forces and motions in cells. In biomolecular motors, transport reactions are both stoichiometric and enzymatic. We outline a mechanochemical theoretical framework for biomolecular motors to understand their enzymatic kinetics and continuous dynamics. The theory is validated by describing the operating mechanism and dynamics of several ATP-fuelled molecular motors driving various loads.

Keywords: biomolecular motors; mechanochemistry; ATPase; enzymetics; Langevin dynamics; operating dynamics; ATP hydrolysis; adenosine triphosphate; enzymatic kinetics; continuous dynamics; nanotechnology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNT.2009.028468

International Journal of Nanotechnology, 2009 Vol.6 No.12, pp.1121 - 1130

Published online: 17 Sep 2009 *

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