Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Publication
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology
Controlling Myosin’S Function Via Interactions Between The Substrate And The Active Site, Mike K. Woodward
Controlling Myosin’S Function Via Interactions Between The Substrate And The Active Site, Mike K. Woodward
Doctoral Dissertations
Molecular motors, such as myosin, have evolved to transduce chemical energy from ATP into mechanical work to drive essential cellular processes, from muscle contraction to vesicular transport. Dysfunction in these motors is a root cause of many pathologies necessitating the application of intrinsic control over molecular motor function. We hypothesized that altering the myosin’s energy substrate via minor positional changes to the triphosphate portion of the molecule will allow us to control the protein and affect its in vitro function. We utilized positional isomers of a synthetic non-nucleoside triphosphate, azobenzene triphosphate, and assessed whether myosin’s force- and motion-generating capacity could …
Tubulin Post-Translational Modifications Are Altered By Changes In Actin-Myosin Contractility In Non-Muscle Cells, James Mcgee
Tubulin Post-Translational Modifications Are Altered By Changes In Actin-Myosin Contractility In Non-Muscle Cells, James Mcgee
Honors Theses
All cells regulate their contractility by the interaction of actin and myosin. In non-muscle cells, however, this interaction is regulated by rho, a GTPase, which is the upstream effector for multiple pathways. Cell contractility increases when rho is active, and prior research has shown the depolymerization of microtubules (MTs) activates rho. Microtubules play a role in many cellular functions and it is thought that either associations with MT-associated proteins and/or post-translational modifications to tubulin regulate MT functions. Numerous post-translational modifications (PTMs) to microtubules have been identified, but their roles are not well understood. A possible relationship between changes in cell …