Dynamic Properties of Motor Proteins with Two Subunits
Abstract
The dynamics of motor protein molecules that have two subunits is investigated using simple discrete stochastic models. Exact steady-state analytical expressions are obtained for velocities and dispersions for any number of intermediate states and conformations between the corresponding binding states of proteins. These models enabled a detailed description and comparison of two possible mechanisms of the motion of motor proteins along the linear tracks: the hand-over-hand mechanism when the motion of subunits alternate, and the inchworm mechanism when one subunit is always trailing another one. It is shown that particles in the hand-over-hand mechanism move faster and fluctuate more than the molecules in the inchworm mechanism. The effect of external forces on dynamic properties of motor proteins is discussed. Finally, a method is proposed for distinguishing between these two mechanisms based on experimental observations.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0503169,
title = {Dynamic Properties of Motor Proteins with Two Subunits},
author = {Anatoly B. Kolomeisky and Hubert Phillips},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0503169},
year = {2015}
}