Electricity controls biomolecules

March 23/30, 2005

Several groups of researchers are working to control kinesin and microtubules, a pair of proteins that in biological cells form a train-and-track structure for structural support, transportation and communications.

Researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Germany have found a way to use electricity to control the way microtubules connect with kinesin-coated structures.

In cells, kinesin transports cargo by walking along long, stiff microtubule filaments. The Delft and Max Planck researchers' control mechanism inverts the relationship of the proteins. They attached kinesin molecules to microfabricated gold surfaces and coaxed the molecules to propel microtubule filaments over the surfaces. The microtubules moved over distances of 2 to 10 microns. A micron is one thousandth of a millimeter.

The researchers flowed microtubules in fluid over the gold surfaces; when they applied an electric field to the gold surfaces, the negatively charged microtubules were drawn to their kinesin molecule docks. When they turned the electric field off, the microtubules detached from the kinesin and floated off the surface.

It should be possible to build nanoscale electrodes that precisely control the movements of the microtubules, according to the researchers.

The researchers are aiming to use the proteins to perform technological tasks on the nanoscale. In theory, these types of devices could give researchers precise control over matter at the molecular scale, and many individual devices could be used in parallel.

The researchers are working on ways to load cargo on individual shuttles and to actively steer and direct individual microtubules.

The work appeared in the January 8, 2005 issue of Nano Letters.


Page One

Stories:
Tool turns English to code
Common sense boosts speech software
Inkjet prints human cells
How it Works: Biochips

Briefs:
Nanowires track molecular activity
Microdroplet makes mighty microscope
Cheap material makes speedy memory
Tiny crystals adjust laser colors
Electricity controls biomolecules
Nanotubes juice super batteries
Layers promise cheap circuits




Research Watch blog

View from the High Ground Q&A
How It Works

RSS Feeds:
News  | Blog

Ad links:
Buy an ad link


Advertisements:



Ad links: Clear History

Buy an ad link

 
Home     Archive     Resources    Feeds     Glossary
TRN Finder     Research Dir.    Events Dir.      Researchers     Bookshelf
   Contribute      Under Development     T-shirts etc.     Classifieds


© Copyright Technology Research News, LLC 2000-2010. All rights reserved.