1
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Yildiz A. Mechanism and regulation of kinesin motors. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2024:10.1038/s41580-024-00780-6. [PMID: 39394463 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-024-00780-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 10/13/2024]
Abstract
Kinesins are a diverse superfamily of microtubule-based motors that perform fundamental roles in intracellular transport, cytoskeletal dynamics and cell division. These motors share a characteristic motor domain that powers unidirectional motility and force generation along microtubules, and they possess unique tail domains that recruit accessory proteins and facilitate oligomerization, regulation and cargo recognition. The location, direction and timing of kinesin-driven processes are tightly regulated by various cofactors, adaptors, microtubule tracks and microtubule-associated proteins. This Review focuses on recent structural and functional studies that reveal how members of the kinesin superfamily use the energy of ATP hydrolysis to transport cargoes, depolymerize microtubules and regulate microtubule dynamics. I also survey how accessory proteins and post-translational modifications regulate the autoinhibition, cargo binding and motility of some of the best-studied kinesins. Despite much progress, the mechanism and regulation of kinesins are still emerging, and unresolved questions can now be tackled using newly developed approaches in biophysics and structural biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmet Yildiz
- Physics Department, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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2
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Sen A, Chowdhury D, Kunwar A. Coordination, cooperation, competition, crowding and congestion of molecular motors: Theoretical models and computer simulations. ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2024; 141:563-650. [PMID: 38960486 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2023.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Cytoskeletal motor proteins are biological nanomachines that convert chemical energy into mechanical work to carry out various functions such as cell division, cell motility, cargo transport, muscle contraction, beating of cilia and flagella, and ciliogenesis. Most of these processes are driven by the collective operation of several motors in the crowded viscous intracellular environment. Imaging and manipulation of the motors with powerful experimental probes have been complemented by mathematical analysis and computer simulations of the corresponding theoretical models. In this article, we illustrate some of the key theoretical approaches used to understand how coordination, cooperation and competition of multiple motors in the crowded intra-cellular environment drive the processes that are essential for biological function of a cell. In spite of the focus on theory, experimentalists will also find this article as an useful summary of the progress made so far in understanding multiple motor systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aritra Sen
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| | - Debashish Chowdhury
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ambarish Kunwar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
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3
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Sundararajan N, Guha S, Muhuri S, Mitra MK. Theoretical analysis of cargo transport by catch bonded motors in optical trapping assays. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:566-577. [PMID: 38126708 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01122d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Dynein motors exhibit catch bonding, where the unbinding rate of the motors from microtubule filaments decreases with increasing opposing load. The implications of this catch bond on the transport properties of dynein-driven cargo are yet to be fully understood. In this context, optical trapping assays constitute an important means of accurately measuring the forces generated by molecular motor proteins. We investigate, using theory and stochastic simulations, the transport properties of cargo transported by catch bonded dynein molecular motors - both singly and in teams - in a harmonic potential, which mimics the variable force experienced by cargo in an optical trap. We estimate the biologically relevant measures of first passage time - the time during which the cargo remains bound to the microtubule and detachment force - the force at which the cargo unbinds from the microtubule, using both two-dimensional and one-dimensional force balance frameworks. Our results suggest that even for cargo transported by a single motor, catch bonding may play a role depending on the force scale which marks the onset of the catch bond. By comparing with experimental measurements on single dynein-driven transport, we estimate realistic bounds of this catch bond force scale. Generically, catch bonding results in increased persistent motion, and can also generate non-monotonic behaviour of first passage times. For cargo transported by multiple motors, emergent collective effects due to catch bonding can result in non-trivial re-entrant phenomena wherein average first passage times and detachment forces exhibit non-monotonic behaviour as a function of the stall force and the motor velocity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naren Sundararajan
- Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India.
- Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Sougata Guha
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India.
- INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Sudipto Muhuri
- Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India.
- Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Mithun K Mitra
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India.
- INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo, 80126 Napoli, Italy
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4
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Kita T, Sasaki K, Niwa S. Modeling the motion of disease-associated KIF1A heterodimers. Biophys J 2023; 122:4348-4359. [PMID: 37853694 PMCID: PMC10698283 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
KIF1A is a member of the kinesin-3 motor protein family that transports synaptic vesicle precursors in axons. Mutations in the Kif1a gene cause neuronal diseases. Most patients are heterozygous and have both mutated and intact KIF1A alleles, suggesting that heterodimers composed of wild-type KIF1A and mutant KIF1A are likely involved in pathogenesis. In this study, we propose mathematical models to describe the motility of KIF1A heterodimers composed of wild-type KIF1A and mutant KIF1A. Our models precisely describe run length, run time, and velocity of KIF1A heterodimers using a few parameters obtained from two homodimers. The first model is a simple hand-over-hand model in which stepping and detachment rates from a microtubule of each head are identical to those in the respective homodimers. Although the velocities of heterodimers expected from this model were in good agreement with the experimental results, this model underestimated the run lengths and run times of some heterodimeric motors. To address this discrepancy, we propose the tethered-head affinity model, in which we hypothesize a tethered head, in addition to a microtubule-binding head, contributes to microtubule binding in a vulnerable one-head-bound state. The run lengths and run times of the KIF1A heterodimers predicted by the tethered-head affinity model matched well with experimental results, suggesting a possibility that the tethered head affects the microtubule binding of KIF1A. Our models provide insights into how each head contributes to the processive movement of KIF1A and can be used to estimate motile parameters of KIF1A heterodimers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoki Kita
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
| | - Kazuo Sasaki
- Department of Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Niwa
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan; Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS), Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
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5
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Chang C, Zheng T, Nettesheim G, Song H, Cho C, Crespi S, Shubeita G. On the use of thermal forces to probe kinesin's response to force. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1260914. [PMID: 38028555 PMCID: PMC10644364 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1260914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The stepping dynamics of cytoskeletal motor proteins determines the dynamics of cargo transport. In its native cellular environment, a molecular motor is subject to forces from several sources including thermal forces and forces ensuing from the interaction with other motors bound to the same cargo. Understanding how the individual motors respond to these forces can allow us to predict how they move their cargo when part of a team. Here, using simulation, we show that details of how the kinesin motor responds to small assisting forces-which, at the moment, are not experimentally constrained-can lead to significant changes in cargo dynamics. Using different models of the force-dependent detachment probability of the kinesin motor leads to different predictions on the run-length of the cargo they carry. These differences emerge from the thermal forces acting on the cargo and transmitted to the motor through the motor tail that tethers the motor head to the microtubule. We show that these differences appear for cargo carried by individual motors or motor teams, and use our findings to propose the use of thermal forces as a probe of kinesin's response to force in this otherwise inaccessible force regime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan Chang
- Physics Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Tiantian Zheng
- Physics Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Guilherme Nettesheim
- Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Hayoung Song
- Physics Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Changhyun Cho
- Physics Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Samuele Crespi
- Physics Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - George Shubeita
- Physics Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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6
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Ma TC, Gicking AM, Feng Q, Hancock WO. Simulations suggest robust microtubule attachment of kinesin and dynein in antagonistic pairs. Biophys J 2023; 122:3299-3313. [PMID: 37464742 PMCID: PMC10465704 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracellular transport is propelled by kinesin and cytoplasmic dynein motors that carry membrane-bound vesicles and organelles bidirectionally along microtubule tracks. Much is known about these motors at the molecular scale, but many questions remain regarding how kinesin and dynein cooperate and compete during bidirectional cargo transport at the cellular level. The goal of the present study was to use a stochastic stepping model constructed by using published load-dependent properties of kinesin-1 and dynein-dynactin-BicD2 (DDB) to identify specific motor properties that determine the speed, directionality, and transport dynamics of a cargo carried by one kinesin and one dynein motor. Model performance was evaluated by comparing simulations to recently published experiments of kinesin-DDB pairs connected by complementary oligonucleotide linkers. Plotting the instantaneous velocity distributions from kinesin-DDB experiments revealed a single peak centered around zero velocity. In contrast, velocity distributions from simulations displayed a central peak around 100 nm/s, along with two side peaks corresponding to the unloaded kinesin and DDB velocities. We hypothesized that frequent motor detachment events and relatively slow motor reattachment rates resulted in periods in which only one motor is attached. To investigate this hypothesis, we varied specific model parameters and compared the resulting instantaneous velocity distributions, and we confirmed this systematic investigation using a machine-learning approach that minimized the residual sum of squares between the experimental and simulation velocity distributions. The experimental data were best recapitulated by a model in which the kinesin and dynein stall forces are matched, the motor detachment rates are independent of load, and the kinesin-1 reattachment rate is 50 s-1. These results provide new insights into motor dynamics during bidirectional transport and put forth hypotheses that can be tested by future experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzu-Chen Ma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Allison M Gicking
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Qingzhou Feng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - William O Hancock
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania; Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
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7
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Fukumoto K, Miyazono Y, Ueda T, Harada Y, Tadakuma H. Evaluating the effect of two-dimensional molecular layout on DNA origami-based transporters. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2023; 5:2590-2601. [PMID: 37143804 PMCID: PMC10153088 DOI: 10.1039/d3na00088e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Cellular transport systems are sophisticated and efficient. Hence, one of the ultimate goals of nanotechnology is to design artificial transport systems rationally. However, the design principle has been elusive, because how motor layout affects motile activity has not been established, partially owing to the difficulty in achieving a precise layout of the motile elements. Here, we employed a DNA origami platform to evaluate the two-dimensional (2D) layout effect of kinesin motor proteins on transporter motility. We succeeded in accelerating the integration speed of the protein of interest (POI) to the DNA origami transporter by up to 700 times by introducing a positively charged poly-lysine tag (Lys-tag) into the POI (kinesin motor protein). This Lys-tag approach allowed us to construct and purify a transporter with high motor density, allowing a precise evaluation on the 2D layout effect. Our single-molecule imaging showed that the densely packed layout of kinesin decreased the run length of the transporter, although its velocity was moderately affected. These results indicate that steric hindrance is a critical parameter to be considered in the design of transport systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kodai Fukumoto
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University Osaka 565-0871 Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University Osaka 560-0043 Japan
| | - Yuya Miyazono
- Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo Chiba 277-8562 Japan
| | - Takuya Ueda
- Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo Chiba 277-8562 Japan
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University Tokyo 162-8480 Japan
| | - Yoshie Harada
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University Osaka 565-0871 Japan
- Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology, Osaka University Osaka 560-0043 Japan
- Premium Research Institute for Human Metaverse Medicine (WPI-PRIMe), Osaka University Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| | - Hisashi Tadakuma
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University Osaka 565-0871 Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo Chiba 277-8562 Japan
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University Shanghai 201210 People's Republic of China
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University Shanghai 201210 People's Republic of China
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8
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Geyer VF, Diez S. Horizontal Magnetic Tweezers to Directly Measure the Force-Velocity Relationship for Multiple Kinesin Motors. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023:e2300558. [PMID: 37035988 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202300558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Transport of intracellular cargo along cytoskeletal filaments is often achieved by the concerted action of multiple motor molecules. While single-molecule studies have provided profound insight into the mechano-chemical principles and force generation of individual motors, studies on multi-motor systems are less advanced. Here, a horizontal magnetic-tweezers setup is applied, capable of producing up to 150 pN of horizontal force onto 2.8 µm superparamagnetic beads, to motor-propelled cytoskeletal filaments. It is found that kinesin-1 driven microtubules decorated with individual beads display frequent transitions in their gliding velocities which we attribute to dynamic changes in the number of engaged motors. Applying defined temporal force-ramps the force-velocity relationship is directly measured for multi-motor transport. It is found that the stall forces of individual motors are approximately additive and collective backward motion of the transport system under super-stall forces is observed. The magnetic-tweezers apparatus is expected to be readily applicable to a wide range of molecular and cellular motility assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veikko F Geyer
- B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Tatzberg 41, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Stefan Diez
- B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Tatzberg 41, 01307, Dresden, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, Technische Universität Dresden, Arnoldstraße 18, 01307, Dresden, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstraße 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany
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9
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Yadav S, Sen A, Kunwar A. Cargo transport properties are enhanced by cylindrical microtubule geometry and elliptical contact zone on cargo surface. J Theor Biol 2023; 565:111466. [PMID: 36924988 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2023.111466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Molecular motors are responsible for carrying cellular transport of various membranous vesicles or organelles along cytoskeletal tracks. Transport of cellular cargos require high forces that are generated by motors working in groups. Hence, the properties of cargo transport can be modulated by varying various parameters such as cargo size and shape, microtubule geometry, motor number and their arrangement on cargo surface. Only those motors which are present in the contact zone on cargo surface have potential to bind to microtubule. Although earlier studies revealed the importance of cargo size, total motors attached to microtubule and their arrangement on cargo transport, yet how the contact zone influences binding of motors to microtubule largely remains unexplored. Here, it has been shown that contact zone is elliptical in shape for a spherical cargo and increases with cargo size for Kinesin-1 motors. To further understand the combined effect of elliptical contact zone and microtubule geometry on cargo transport, 3D mean-field model with uniform and clustered arrangement of motors for different cargo sizes and motor number has been used. Our findings indicate that cylindrical microtubule geometry maximizes the microtubule-bound motors which enhances the runlength and velocity of cargo transport. Our results show that microtubule-bound motors decrease with cargo size for uniform arrangement of motors on cargo thus decreasing its runlength and velocity, whereas in clustered arrangement, the number of microtubule-bound motors increase with cargo size which leads to increase in runlength and velocity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saumya Yadav
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400076, India
| | - Aritra Sen
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400076, India
| | - Ambarish Kunwar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400076, India.
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10
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Studying Dynein Mechanochemistry with an Optical Trap. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2623:201-219. [PMID: 36602688 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2958-1_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Molecular motors generate force and mechanical work to perform some of the most energy-demanding cellular processes, such as whole cell motility and cell division. These motors experience resistance from the viscoelastic environment of the surrounding cytoplasm, and opposing forces that can originate from other motors bound to cytoskeleton. Optical trapping is the most widely used method to measure the force-generating and force-response characteristics of motor proteins. Here we present the methodologies of three different optical trapping assays we use to measure how forces originating from external factors affect the microtubule-detachment rate and velocity of dynein. We also briefly discuss the remaining challenges and future directions of optical trapping studies of dyneins and other microtubule-based motors.
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11
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Najma B, Varghese M, Tsidilkovski L, Lemma L, Baskaran A, Duclos G. Competing instabilities reveal how to rationally design and control active crosslinked gels. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6465. [PMID: 36309493 PMCID: PMC9617906 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34089-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
How active stresses generated by molecular motors set the large-scale mechanics of the cell cytoskeleton remains poorly understood. Here, we combine experiments and theory to demonstrate how the emergent properties of a biomimetic active crosslinked gel depend on the properties of its microscopic constituents. We show that an extensile nematic elastomer exhibits two distinct activity-driven instabilities, spontaneously bending in-plane or buckling out-of-plane depending on its composition. Molecular motors play a dual antagonistic role, fluidizing or stiffening the gel depending on the ATP concentration. We demonstrate how active and elastic stresses are set by each component, providing estimates for the active gel theory parameters. Finally, activity and elasticity were manipulated in situ with light-activable motor proteins, controlling the direction of the instability optically. These results highlight how cytoskeletal stresses regulate the self-organization of living matter and set the foundations for the rational design and optogenetic control of active materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bibi Najma
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Minu Varghese
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Lev Tsidilkovski
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Linnea Lemma
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Aparna Baskaran
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Guillaume Duclos
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA.
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12
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Gicking AM, Ma TC, Feng Q, Jiang R, Badieyan S, Cianfrocco MA, Hancock WO. Kinesin-1, -2, and -3 motors use family-specific mechanochemical strategies to effectively compete with dynein during bidirectional transport. eLife 2022; 11:e82228. [PMID: 36125250 PMCID: PMC9545524 DOI: 10.7554/elife.82228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Bidirectional cargo transport in neurons requires competing activity of motors from the kinesin-1, -2, and -3 superfamilies against cytoplasmic dynein-1. Previous studies demonstrated that when kinesin-1 attached to dynein-dynactin-BicD2 (DDB) complex, the tethered motors move slowly with a slight plus-end bias, suggesting kinesin-1 overpowers DDB but DDB generates a substantial hindering load. Compared to kinesin-1, motors from the kinesin-2 and -3 families display a higher sensitivity to load in single-molecule assays and are thus predicted to be overpowered by dynein complexes in cargo transport. To test this prediction, we used a DNA scaffold to pair DDB with members of the kinesin-1, -2, and -3 families to recreate bidirectional transport in vitro, and tracked the motor pairs using two-channel TIRF microscopy. Unexpectedly, we find that when both kinesin and dynein are engaged and stepping on the microtubule, kinesin-1, -2, and -3 motors are able to effectively withstand hindering loads generated by DDB. Stochastic stepping simulations reveal that kinesin-2 and -3 motors compensate for their faster detachment rates under load with faster reattachment kinetics. The similar performance between the three kinesin transport families highlights how motor kinetics play critical roles in balancing forces between kinesin and dynein, and emphasizes the importance of motor regulation by cargo adaptors, regulatory proteins, and the microtubule track for tuning the speed and directionality of cargo transport in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M Gicking
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkUnited States
| | - Tzu-Chen Ma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkUnited States
| | - Qingzhou Feng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkUnited States
| | - Rui Jiang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkUnited States
| | - Somayesadat Badieyan
- Department of Biological Chemistry and the Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Michael A Cianfrocco
- Department of Biological Chemistry and the Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn ArborUnited States
| | - William O Hancock
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkUnited States
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13
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Kuo YW, Mahamdeh M, Tuna Y, Howard J. The force required to remove tubulin from the microtubule lattice by pulling on its α-tubulin C-terminal tail. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3651. [PMID: 35752623 PMCID: PMC9233703 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31069-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Severing enzymes and molecular motors extract tubulin from the walls of microtubules by exerting mechanical force on subunits buried in the lattice. However, how much force is needed to remove tubulin from microtubules is not known, nor is the pathway by which subunits are removed. Using a site-specific functionalization method, we applied forces to the C-terminus of α-tubulin with an optical tweezer and found that a force of ~30 pN is required to extract tubulin from the microtubule wall. Additionally, we discovered that partial unfolding is an intermediate step in tubulin removal. The unfolding and extraction forces are similar to those generated by AAA-unfoldases. Lastly, we show that three kinesin-1 motor proteins can also extract tubulin from the microtubule lattice. Our results provide the first experimental investigation of how tubulin responds to mechanical forces exerted on its α-tubulin C-terminal tail and have implications for the mechanisms of severing enzymes and microtubule stability. Tubulin, the building blocks of microtubules, can be removed from the microtubule wall by mechanical forces. Using single-molecule methods, the authors show that tubulin partially unfolds prior to its removal and determined the tubulin-extraction force.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin-Wei Kuo
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mohammed Mahamdeh
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yazgan Tuna
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jonathon Howard
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Renda F, Miles C, Tikhonenko I, Fisher R, Carlini L, Kapoor TM, Mogilner A, Khodjakov A. Non-centrosomal microtubules at kinetochores promote rapid chromosome biorientation during mitosis in human cells. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1049-1063.e4. [PMID: 35108523 PMCID: PMC8930511 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Proper segregation of chromosomes during mitosis depends on "amphitelic attachments"-load-bearing connections of sister kinetochores to the opposite spindle poles via bundles of microtubules, termed as the "K-fibers." Current models of spindle assembly assume that K-fibers arise largely from stochastic capture of microtubules, which occurs at random times and locations and independently at sister kinetochores. We test this assumption by following the movements of all kinetochores in human cells and determine that most amphitelic attachments form synchronously at a specific stage of spindle assembly and within a spatially distinct domain. This biorientation domain is enriched in bundles of antiparallel microtubules, and perturbation of microtubule bundling changes the temporal and spatial dynamics of amphitelic attachment formation. Structural analyses indicate that interactions of kinetochores with microtubule bundles are mediated by non-centrosomal short microtubules that emanate from most kinetochores during early prometaphase. Computational analyses suggest that momentous molecular motor-driven interactions with antiparallel bundles rapidly convert these short microtubules into nascent K-fibers. Thus, load-bearing connections to the opposite spindle poles form simultaneously on sister kinetochores. In contrast to the uncoordinated sequential attachments of sister kinetochores expected in stochastic models of spindle assembly, our model envisions the formation of amphitelic attachments as a deterministic process in which the chromosomes connect with the spindle poles synchronously at a specific stage of spindle assembly and at a defined location determined by the spindle architecture. Experimental analyses of changes in the kinetochore behavior in cells with perturbed activity of molecular motors CenpE and dynein confirm the predictive power of the model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fioranna Renda
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Christopher Miles
- Courant Institute and Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Mathematics and the NSF-Simons Center for Multiscale Cell Fate Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Irina Tikhonenko
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Rebecca Fisher
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Lina Carlini
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tarun M Kapoor
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alex Mogilner
- Courant Institute and Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Alexey Khodjakov
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA; Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA.
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15
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Chandrakar P, Berezney J, Lemma B, Hishamunda B, Berry A, Wu KT, Subramanian R, Chung J, Needleman D, Gelles J, Dogic Z. Engineering stability, longevity, and miscibility of microtubule-based active fluids. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:1825-1835. [PMID: 35167642 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm01289d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microtubule-based active matter provides insight into the self-organization of motile interacting constituents. We describe several formulations of microtubule-based 3D active isotropic fluids. Dynamics of these fluids is powered by three types of kinesin motors: a processive motor, a non-processive motor, and a motor which is permanently linked to a microtubule backbone. Another modification uses a specific microtubule crosslinker to induce bundle formation instead of a non-specific polymer depletant. In comparison to the already established system, each formulation exhibits distinct properties. These developments reveal the temporal stability of microtubule-based active fluids while extending their reach and the applicability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Chandrakar
- The Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
| | - John Berezney
- The Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
| | - Bezia Lemma
- The Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Bernard Hishamunda
- The Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
| | - Angela Berry
- Hampton University School of Pharmacy, 121 William R. Harvey Way, Hampton, VA 23668, USA
- The Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
| | - Kun-Ta Wu
- The Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
- Department of Physics, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, Massachusetts 01609, USA
| | - Radhika Subramanian
- Department of Genetics, HMS and Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
| | - Johnson Chung
- Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
| | - Daniel Needleman
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY 10010, USA
| | - Jeff Gelles
- Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
| | - Zvonimir Dogic
- The Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
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16
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Microtubule Dumbbells to Assess the Effect of Force Geometry on Single Kinesin Motors. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2478:559-583. [PMID: 36063334 PMCID: PMC9987583 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2229-2_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The cytoskeletal motors myosin, kinesin, and dynein and their corresponding tracks, actin and microtubules, are force generating ATPases responsible for motility and morphological changes at the intracellular, cellular, and tissue levels. The pioneering application of optical tweezers to measure the force-producing properties of cytoskeletal motors has provided an unparalleled understanding of their mechanochemistry. The mechanosensitivity of processive, microtubule-based motors has largely been studied in the optical trap using the "single-bead" assay, where a bead-attached motor is held adjacent to a cytoskeletal filament as it processively steps along it. However, because of the geometrical constraints in the conventional single-bead assay, the motor-filament bond is not only loaded parallel to the long axis of the filament, but also perpendicular to the long axis of the filament. This perpendicular force, which is inherent in the conventional single-bead assay, accelerates the motor-filament detachment and has not been carefully considered in prior experiments. An alternative approach is the "three-bead" assay, which was developed for the study of non-processive myosin motors. The vertical force component is minimized in this assay, and the total opposing force is mainly parallel to the microtubule. Experiments with kinesin show that microtubule attachment durations can be highly variable and last for up to tenfold longer times in the three-bead assay, compared to the single-bead assay. Thus, the ability of kinesin to bear mechanical load and remain attached to microtubules depends on the forces in more than one dimension. In this chapter, we provide detailed methods for preparing the proteins, buffers, flow chambers, and bead-filament assemblies for performing the three-bead assay with microtubules and their motors.
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17
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Lemma LM, Norton MM, Tayar AM, DeCamp SJ, Aghvami SA, Fraden S, Hagan MF, Dogic Z. Multiscale Microtubule Dynamics in Active Nematics. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 127:148001. [PMID: 34652175 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.127.148001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
In microtubule-based active nematics, motor-driven extensile motion of microtubule bundles powers chaotic large-scale dynamics. We quantify the interfilament sliding motion both in isolated bundles and in a dense active nematic. The extension speed of an isolated microtubule pair is comparable to the molecular motor stepping speed. In contrast, the net extension in dense 2D active nematics is significantly slower; the interfilament sliding speeds are widely distributed about the average and the filaments exhibit both contractile and extensile relative motion. These measurements highlight the challenge of connecting the extension rate of isolated bundles to the multimotor and multifilament interactions present in a dense 2D active nematic. They also provide quantitative data that is essential for building multiscale models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linnea M Lemma
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Michael M Norton
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA
| | - Alexandra M Tayar
- Department of Physics, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Stephen J DeCamp
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA
| | - S Ali Aghvami
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA
| | - Seth Fraden
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA
| | - Michael F Hagan
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA
| | - Zvonimir Dogic
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
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18
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Halbi G, Fayer I, Aranovich D, Gat S, Bar S, Erukhimovitch V, Granek R, Bernheim-Groswasser A. Nano-Particles Carried by Multiple Dynein Motors Self-Regulate Their Number of Actively Participating Motors. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168893. [PMID: 34445598 PMCID: PMC8396316 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Intra-cellular active transport by native cargos is ubiquitous. We investigate the motion of spherical nano-particles (NPs) grafted with flexible polymers that end with a nuclear localization signal peptide. This peptide allows the recruitment of several mammalian dynein motors from cytoplasmic extracts. To determine how motor–motor interactions influenced motility on the single microtubule level, we conducted bead-motility assays incorporating surface adsorbed microtubules and combined them with model simulations that were based on the properties of a single dynein. The experimental and simulation results revealed long time trajectories: when the number of NP-ligated motors Nm increased, run-times and run-lengths were enhanced and mean velocities were somewhat decreased. Moreover, the dependence of the velocity on run-time followed a universal curve, regardless of the system composition. Model simulations also demonstrated left- and right-handed helical motion and revealed self-regulation of the number of microtubule-bound, actively transporting dynein motors. This number was stochastic along trajectories and was distributed mainly between one, two, and three motors, regardless of Nm. We propose that this self-regulation allows our synthetic NPs to achieve persistent motion that is associated with major helicity. Such a helical motion might affect obstacle bypassing, which can influence active transport efficiency when facing the crowded environment of the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Halbi
- The Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (G.H.); (D.A.); (S.G.); (S.B.); (V.E.)
| | - Itay Fayer
- The Stella and Avram Goren-Goldstein Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel;
| | - Dina Aranovich
- The Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (G.H.); (D.A.); (S.G.); (S.B.); (V.E.)
| | - Shachar Gat
- The Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (G.H.); (D.A.); (S.G.); (S.B.); (V.E.)
| | - Shay Bar
- The Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (G.H.); (D.A.); (S.G.); (S.B.); (V.E.)
| | - Vitaly Erukhimovitch
- The Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (G.H.); (D.A.); (S.G.); (S.B.); (V.E.)
| | - Rony Granek
- The Stella and Avram Goren-Goldstein Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel;
- The Ilse Katz Institute for Meso and Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
- Correspondence: (R.G.); (A.B.-G.)
| | - Anne Bernheim-Groswasser
- The Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (G.H.); (D.A.); (S.G.); (S.B.); (V.E.)
- The Ilse Katz Institute for Meso and Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
- Correspondence: (R.G.); (A.B.-G.)
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19
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Guha S, Mitra MK, Pagonabarraga I, Muhuri S. Novel mechanism for oscillations in catchbonded motor-filament complexes. Biophys J 2021; 120:4129-4136. [PMID: 34329628 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Revised: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Generation of mechanical oscillations is ubiquitous to a wide variety of intracellular processes ranging from activity of muscle fibres to oscillations of the mitotic spindle. The activity of motors plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the mitotic spindle structure and in generating spontaneous oscillations. While the structural features and properties of the individual motors are well characterized, their implications on the functional behaviour of motor-filament complexes is more involved. We show that force-induced allosteric deformations in dynein, which results in catchbonding behaviour, provide a generic mechanism to generate spontaneous oscillations in motor-cytoskeletal filament complexes. The resultant phase diagram of such motor-filament systems - characterized by force-induced allosteric deformations - exhibits bistability and sustained limit cycle oscillations in biologically relevant regimes, such as for catchbonded dynein. The results reported here elucidate the central role of this mechanism in fashioning a distinctive stability behaviour and oscillations in motor-filament complexes, such as mitotic spindles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sougata Guha
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India; Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
| | - Mithun K Mitra
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
| | - Ignacio Pagonabarraga
- CECAM, Centre Européen de Calcul Atomique et Moléculaire, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lasuanne (EPFL), Batochime, Avenue Forel 2, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, E08028 Barcelona, Spain; UBICS University of Barcelona Institute of Complex Systems, Martí i Franquès 1, E08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sudipto Muhuri
- Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India.
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20
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Abstract
Cytoskeletal active nematics exhibit striking nonequilibrium dynamics that are powered by energy-consuming molecular motors. To gain insight into the structure and mechanics of these materials, we design programmable clusters in which kinesin motors are linked by a double-stranded DNA linker. The efficiency by which DNA-based clusters power active nematics depends on both the stepping dynamics of the kinesin motors and the chemical structure of the polymeric linker. Fluorescence anisotropy measurements reveal that the motor clusters, like filamentous microtubules, exhibit local nematic order. The properties of the DNA linker enable the design of force-sensing clusters. When the load across the linker exceeds a critical threshold, the clusters fall apart, ceasing to generate active stresses and slowing the system dynamics. Fluorescence readout reveals the fraction of bound clusters that generate interfilament sliding. In turn, this yields the average load experienced by the kinesin motors as they step along the microtubules. DNA-motor clusters provide a foundation for understanding the molecular mechanism by which nanoscale molecular motors collectively generate mesoscopic active stresses, which in turn power macroscale nonequilibrium dynamics of active nematics.
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21
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Effect of Kinesin-5 Tail Domain on Motor Dynamics for Antiparallel Microtubule Sliding. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22157857. [PMID: 34360622 PMCID: PMC8345995 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22157857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Kinesin-5 motor consists of two pairs of heads and tail domains, which are situated at the opposite ends of a common stalk. The two pairs of heads can bind to two antiparallel microtubules (MTs) and move on the two MTs independently towards the plus ends, sliding apart the two MTs, which is responsible for chromosome segregation during mitosis. Prior experimental data showed that the tails of kinesin-5 Eg5 can modulate the dynamics of single motors and are critical for multiple motors to generate high steady forces to slide apart two antiparallel MTs. To understand the molecular mechanism of the tails modulating the ability of Eg5 motors, based on our proposed model the dynamics of the single Eg5 with the tails and that without the tails moving on single MTs is studied analytically and compared. Furthermore, the dynamics of antiparallel MT sliding by multiple Eg5 motors with the tails and that without the tails is studied numerically and compared. Both the analytical results for single motors and the numerical results for multiple motors are consistent with the available experimental data.
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22
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Abstract
Dyneins make up a family of AAA+ motors that move toward the minus end of microtubules. Cytoplasmic dynein is responsible for transporting intracellular cargos in interphase cells and mediating spindle assembly and chromosome positioning during cell division. Other dynein isoforms transport cargos in cilia and power ciliary beating. Dyneins were the least studied of the cytoskeletal motors due to challenges in the reconstitution of active dynein complexes in vitro and the scarcity of high-resolution methods for in-depth structural and biophysical characterization of these motors. These challenges have been recently addressed, and there have been major advances in our understanding of the activation, mechanism, and regulation of dyneins. This review synthesizes the results of structural and biophysical studies for each class of dynein motors. We highlight several outstanding questions about the regulation of bidirectional transport along microtubules and the mechanisms that sustain self-coordinated oscillations within motile cilia.
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Affiliation(s)
- John T Canty
- Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA;
| | - Ruensern Tan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Emre Kusakci
- Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA;
| | - Jonathan Fernandes
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Ahmet Yildiz
- Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA; .,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.,Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
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23
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Urbanska M, Lüdecke A, Walter WJ, van Oijen AM, Duderstadt KE, Diez S. Highly-Parallel Microfluidics-Based Force Spectroscopy on Single Cytoskeletal Motors. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2021; 17:e2007388. [PMID: 33759372 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202007388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cytoskeletal motors transform chemical energy into mechanical work to drive essential cellular functions. Optical trapping experiments have provided crucial insights into the operation of these molecular machines under load. However, the throughput of such force spectroscopy experiments is typically limited to one measurement at a time. Here, a highly-parallel, microfluidics-based method that allows for rapid collection of force-dependent motility parameters of cytoskeletal motors with two orders of magnitude improvement in throughput compared to currently available methods is introduced. Tunable hydrodynamic forces to stepping kinesin-1 motors via DNA-tethered beads and utilize a large field of view to simultaneously track the velocities, run lengths, and interaction times of hundreds of individual kinesin-1 molecules under varying resisting and assisting loads are applied. Importantly, the 16 µm long DNA tethers between the motors and the beads significantly reduces the vertical component of the applied force pulling the motors away from the microtubule. The approach is readily applicable to other molecular systems and constitutes a new methodology for parallelized single-molecule force studies on cytoskeletal motors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Urbanska
- B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069, Dresden, Germany
| | - Annemarie Lüdecke
- B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069, Dresden, Germany
| | - Wilhelm J Walter
- B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069, Dresden, Germany
| | - Antoine M van Oijen
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Groningen, AE, 9700, Netherlands
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia
| | - Karl E Duderstadt
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Groningen, AE, 9700, Netherlands
- Structure and Dynamics of Molecular Machines, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
- Physics Department, Technische Universität München, 85748, Garching, Germany
| | - Stefan Diez
- B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069, Dresden, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307, Dresden, Germany
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24
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Gros OJ, Damstra HGJ, Kapitein LC, Akhmanova A, Berger F. Dynein self-organizes while translocating the centrosome in T-cells. Mol Biol Cell 2021; 32:855-868. [PMID: 33689395 PMCID: PMC8108531 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e20-10-0668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
T-cells massively restructure their internal architecture upon reaching an antigen-presenting cell (APC) to form the immunological synapse (IS), a cell-cell interface necessary for efficient elimination of the APC. This reorganization occurs through tight coordination of cytoskeletal processes: actin forms a peripheral ring, and dynein motors translocate the centrosome toward the IS. A recent study proposed that centrosome translocation involves a microtubule (MT) bundle that connects the centrosome perpendicularly to dynein at the synapse center: the "stalk." The synapse center, however, is actin-depleted, while actin was assumed to anchor dynein. We propose that dynein is attached to mobile membrane anchors, and investigate this model with computer simulations. We find that dynein organizes into a cluster in the synapse when translocating the centrosome, aligning MTs into a stalk. By implementing both a MT-capture-shrinkage and a MT-sliding mechanism, we explicitly demonstrate that this organization occurs in both systems. However, results obtained with MT-sliding dynein are more robust and display a stalk morphology consistent with our experimental data obtained with expansion microscopy. Thus, our simulations suggest that actin organization in T-cells during activation defines a specific geometry in which MT-sliding dynein can self-organize into a cluster and cause stalk formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oane J Gros
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Hugo G J Damstra
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Lukas C Kapitein
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Anna Akhmanova
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Florian Berger
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
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25
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Sudhakar S, Abdosamadi MK, Jachowski TJ, Bugiel M, Jannasch A, Schäffer E. Germanium nanospheres for ultraresolution picotensiometry of kinesin motors. Science 2021; 371:371/6530/eabd9944. [PMID: 33574186 DOI: 10.1126/science.abd9944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Kinesin motors are essential for the transport of cellular cargo along microtubules. How the motors step, detach, and cooperate with each other is still unclear. To dissect the molecular motion of kinesin-1, we developed germanium nanospheres as ultraresolution optical trapping probes. We found that single motors took 4-nanometer center-of-mass steps. Furthermore, kinesin-1 never detached from microtubules under hindering load conditions. Instead, it slipped on microtubules in microsecond-long, 8-nanometer steps and remained in this slip state before detaching or reengaging in directed motion. Unexpectedly, reengagement and thus rescue of directed motion was more frequent. Our observations broaden our knowledge on the mechanochemical cycle and slip state of kinesin. This state and rescue need to be accounted for to understand long-range transport by teams of motors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swathi Sudhakar
- Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Cellular Nanoscience (ZMBP), Auf der Morgenstelle 32, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mohammad Kazem Abdosamadi
- Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Cellular Nanoscience (ZMBP), Auf der Morgenstelle 32, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tobias Jörg Jachowski
- Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Cellular Nanoscience (ZMBP), Auf der Morgenstelle 32, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Bugiel
- Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Cellular Nanoscience (ZMBP), Auf der Morgenstelle 32, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anita Jannasch
- Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Cellular Nanoscience (ZMBP), Auf der Morgenstelle 32, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Erik Schäffer
- Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Cellular Nanoscience (ZMBP), Auf der Morgenstelle 32, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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26
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Budaitis BG, Jariwala S, Rao L, Yue Y, Sept D, Verhey KJ, Gennerich A. Pathogenic mutations in the kinesin-3 motor KIF1A diminish force generation and movement through allosteric mechanisms. J Cell Biol 2021; 220:211720. [PMID: 33496723 PMCID: PMC7844421 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202004227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The kinesin-3 motor KIF1A functions in neurons, where its fast and superprocessive motility facilitates long-distance transport, but little is known about its force-generating properties. Using optical tweezers, we demonstrate that KIF1A stalls at an opposing load of ~3 pN but more frequently detaches at lower forces. KIF1A rapidly reattaches to the microtubule to resume motion due to its class-specific K-loop, resulting in a unique clustering of force generation events. To test the importance of neck linker docking in KIF1A force generation, we introduced mutations linked to human neurodevelopmental disorders. Molecular dynamics simulations predict that V8M and Y89D mutations impair neck linker docking. Indeed, both mutations dramatically reduce the force generation of KIF1A but not the motor’s ability to rapidly reattach to the microtubule. Although both mutations relieve autoinhibition of the full-length motor, the mutant motors display decreased velocities, run lengths, and landing rates and delayed cargo transport in cells. These results advance our understanding of how mutations in KIF1A can manifest in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breane G Budaitis
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Shashank Jariwala
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Lu Rao
- Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology and Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Yang Yue
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - David Sept
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Kristen J Verhey
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Arne Gennerich
- Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology and Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY
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27
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Klobusicky JJ, Fricks J, Kramer PR. Effective behavior of cooperative and nonidentical molecular motors. RESEARCH IN THE MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES 2020; 7:29. [PMID: 33870090 PMCID: PMC8049358 DOI: 10.1007/s40687-020-00230-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Analytical formulas for effective drift, diffusivity, run times, and run lengths are derived for an intracellular transport system consisting of a cargo attached to two cooperative but not identical molecular motors (for example, kinesin-1 and kinesin-2) which can each attach and detach from a microtubule. The dynamics of the motor and cargo in each phase are governed by stochastic differential equations, and the switching rates depend on the spatial configuration of the motor and cargo. This system is analyzed in a limit where the detached motors have faster dynamics than the cargo, which in turn has faster dynamics than the attached motors. The attachment and detachment rates are also taken to be slow relative to the spatial dynamics. Through an application of iterated stochastic averaging to this system, and the use of renewal-reward theory to stitch together the progress within each switching phase, we obtain explicit analytical expressions for the effective drift, diffusivity, and processivity of the motor-cargo system. Our approach accounts in particular for jumps in motor-cargo position that occur during attachment and detachment events, as the cargo tracking variable makes a rapid adjustment due to the averaged fast scales. The asymptotic formulas are in generally good agreement with direct stochastic simulations of the detailed model based on experimental parameters for various pairings of kinesin-1 and kinesin-2 under assisting, hindering, or no load.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John Fricks
- Arizona State University, School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Peter R Kramer
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Mathematical Science Department, Troy, NY, USA
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28
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Gagnon DA, Dessi C, Berezney JP, Boros R, Chen DTN, Dogic Z, Blair DL. Shear-Induced Gelation of Self-Yielding Active Networks. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 125:178003. [PMID: 33156652 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.178003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
An enticing feature of active materials is the possibility of controlling macroscale rheological properties through the activity of the microscopic constituents. Using a unique combination of microscopy and rheology we study three dimensional microtubule-based active materials whose autonomous flows are powered by a continually rearranging connected network. We quantify the relationship between the microscopic dynamics and the bulk mechanical properties of these nonequilibrium networks. Experiments reveal a surprising nonmonotonic viscosity that strongly depends on the relative magnitude of the rate of internally generated activity and the externally applied shear. A simple two-state mechanical model that accounts for both the solidlike and yielded fluidlike elements of the network accurately describes the rheological measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Gagnon
- Department of Physics and Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis & Metrology, Georgetown University, 3700 O Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20057, USA
| | - Claudia Dessi
- Department of Physics and Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis & Metrology, Georgetown University, 3700 O Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20057, USA
| | - John P Berezney
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA
| | - Remi Boros
- Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Daniel T-N Chen
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA
| | - Zvonimir Dogic
- Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Daniel L Blair
- Department of Physics and Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis & Metrology, Georgetown University, 3700 O Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20057, USA
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29
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Khataee H, Mahamdeh M, Neufeld Z. Processivity of molecular motors under vectorial loads. Phys Rev E 2020; 102:022406. [PMID: 32942474 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.102.022406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Molecular motors are cellular machines that drive the spatial organization of the cells by transporting cargos along intracellular filaments. Although the mechanical properties of single molecular motors are relatively well characterized, it remains elusive how the geometry of a load imposed on a motor affects its processivity, i.e., the average distance that a motor moves per interaction with a filament. Here, we theoretically explore this question for a single-kinesin molecular motor by analyzing the load dependence of the stepping and detachment processes. We find that the processivity of the kinesin increases with lowering the load angle between the kinesin and the microtubule filament, due to the deceleration of the detachment rate. When the load angle is large, the processivity is predicted to enhance with accelerating the stepping rate through an optimal distribution of the load over the kinetic transition rates underlying a mechanical step of the motor. These results provide new insights into understanding of the design of potential synthetic biomolecular machines that can travel long distances with high velocities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Khataee
- School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Mohammed Mahamdeh
- Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02129, USA
| | - Zoltan Neufeld
- School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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30
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The mechanochemistry of the kinesin-2 KIF3AC heterodimer is related to strain-dependent kinetic properties of KIF3A and KIF3C. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:15632-15641. [PMID: 32571914 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1916343117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
KIF3AC is a mammalian neuron-specific kinesin-2 implicated in intracellular cargo transport. It is a heterodimer of KIF3A and KIF3C motor polypeptides which have distinct biochemical and motile properties as engineered homodimers. Single-molecule motility assays show that KIF3AC moves processively along microtubules at a rate faster than expected given the motility rates of the KIF3AA and much slower KIF3CC homodimers. To resolve the stepping kinetics of KIF3A and KIF3C motors in homo- and heterodimeric constructs and determine their transport potential under load, we assayed motor activity using interferometric scattering microscopy and optical trapping. The distribution of stepping durations of KIF3AC molecules is described by a rate (k 1 = 11 s-1) without apparent kinetic asymmetry. Asymmetry was also not apparent under hindering or assisting mechanical loads in the optical trap. KIF3AC shows increased force sensitivity relative to KIF3AA yet is more capable of stepping against mechanical load than KIF3CC. Interestingly, the behavior of KIF3C mirrors prior studies of kinesins with increased interhead compliance. Microtubule gliding assays containing 1:1 mixtures of KIF3AA and KIF3CC result in speeds similar to KIF3AC, suggesting the homodimers mechanically impact each other's motility to reproduce the behavior of the heterodimer. Our observations are consistent with a mechanism in which the stepping of KIF3C can be activated by KIF3A in a strain-dependent manner, similar to application of an assisting load. These results suggest that the mechanochemical properties of KIF3AC can be explained by the strain-dependent kinetics of KIF3A and KIF3C.
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31
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Chen K, Nam W, Epureanu BI. Collective intracellular cargo transport by multiple kinesins on multiple microtubules. Phys Rev E 2020; 101:052413. [PMID: 32575243 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.101.052413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The transport of intracellular organelles is accomplished by groups of molecular motors, such as kinesin, myosin, and dynein. Previous studies have demonstrated that the cooperation between kinesins on a track is beneficial for long transport. However, within crowded three-dimensional (3D) cytoskeletal networks, surplus motors could impair transport and lead to traffic jams of cargos. Comprehensive understanding of the effects of the interactions among molecular motors, cargo, and tracks on the 3D cargo transport dynamics is still lack. In this work, a 3D stochastic multiphysics model is introduced to study the synergistic and antagonistic motions of kinesin motors walking on multiple mircotubules (MTs). Based on the model, we show that kinesins attaching to a common cargo can interact mechanically through the transient forces in their cargo linkers. Under different environmental conditions, such as different MT topologies and kinesin concentrations, the transient forces in the kinesins, the stepping frequency and the binding and unbinding probabilities of kinesins are changed substantially. Therefore, the macroscopic transport properties, specifically the stall force of the cargo, the transport direction at track intersections, and the mean-square displacement (MSD) of the cargo along the MT bundles vary over the environmental conditions. In general, conditions that improve the synergistic motion of kinesins increase the stall force of the cargo and the capability of maintaining the transport. In contrast, the antagonistic motion of kinesins temporarily traps the cargo and slows down the transport. Furthermore, this study predicts an optimal number of kinesins for the cargo transport at MT intersections and along MT bundles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kejie Chen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, USA
| | - Woochul Nam
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
| | - Bogdan I Epureanu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, USA
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32
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Xie P. Theoretical Analysis of Dynamics of Kinesin Molecular Motors. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:5721-5730. [PMID: 32226850 PMCID: PMC7097908 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b03738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Kinesin is a typical molecular motor that can step processively on microtubules powered by hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules, playing a critical role in intracellular transports. Its dynamical properties such as its velocity, stepping ratio, run length, dissociation rate, etc. as well as the load dependencies of these quantities have been well documented through single-molecule experimental methods. In particular, the run length shows a dramatic asymmetry with respect to the direction of the load, and the dissociation rate exhibits a slip-catch-slip bond behavior under the backward load. Here, an analytic theory was provided for the dynamics of kinesin motors under both forward and backward loads, explaining consistently and quantitatively the diverse available experimental results.
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33
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Xie P. Non-tight and tight chemomechanical couplings of biomolecular motors under hindering loads. J Theor Biol 2020; 490:110173. [PMID: 31982418 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2020.110173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Biomolecular motors make use of free energy released from chemical reaction (typically ATP hydrolysis) to perform mechanical motion or work. An important issue is whether a molecular motor exhibits tight or non-tight chemomechanical (CM) coupling. The tight CM coupling refers to that each ATPase activity is coupled with a mechanical step, while the non-tight CM coupling refers to that an ATPase activity is not necessarily coupled with a mechanical step. Here, we take kinesin, monomeric DNA helicase, ring-shaped hexameric DNA helicase and ribosome as examples to study this issue. Our studies indicate that some motors such as kinesin, monomeric helicase and ribosome exhibit non-tight CM coupling under hindering forces, while others such as the ring-shaped hexameric helicase exhibit tight or nearly tight CM coupling under any force. For the former, the reduction of the velocity caused by the hindering force arises mainly from the reduction of the CM coupling efficiency, while the ATPase rate is independent or nearly independent of the force. For the latter, the reduction of the velocity caused by the hindering force arises mainly from the reduction of the ATPase rate, while the CM coupling efficiency is independent or nearly independent of the force.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Xie
- Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
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34
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Ezber Y, Belyy V, Can S, Yildiz A. Dynein Harnesses Active Fluctuations of Microtubules for Faster Movement. NATURE PHYSICS 2020; 16:312-316. [PMID: 33868446 PMCID: PMC8049612 DOI: 10.1038/s41567-019-0757-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The cytoskeleton forms a dynamic network that generates fluctuations larger than thermal agitation of the cytoplasm1. Here, we tested whether dynein, a minus-end-directed microtubule (MT) motor2, can harness energy from these fluctuations using optical trapping in vitro. We show that dynein forms an asymmetric slip bond with MTs, where its detachment rate increases more slowly under hindering forces than assisting forces. This asymmetry enables dynein to generate unidirectional motility towards the minus-end from force fluctuations. Consistent with our model, oscillatory forces exerted by the trap drive dynein stepping without net force and ATP. Dynein is capable of ratcheting towards the minus-end even when the net force is in the plus-end direction. With ATP, force oscillations increase the velocity and stall force of dynein as it transports cargos and glides MTs. Therefore, dynein is a mechanical ratchet that rectifies cytoskeletal fluctuations to move faster and resists higher forces along MTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasin Ezber
- Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720 USA
| | - Vladislav Belyy
- Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720 USA
| | - Sinan Can
- Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720 USA
| | - Ahmet Yildiz
- Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720 USA
- Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720 USA
- The Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720 USA
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35
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Howard J, Hancock WO. Three Beads Are Better Than One. Biophys J 2020; 118:1-3. [PMID: 31951531 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathon Howard
- Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
| | - William O Hancock
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
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36
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Pyrpassopoulos S, Shuman H, Ostap EM. Modulation of Kinesin's Load-Bearing Capacity by Force Geometry and the Microtubule Track. Biophys J 2019; 118:243-253. [PMID: 31883614 PMCID: PMC6952184 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.10.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Kinesin motors and their associated microtubule tracks are essential for long-distance transport of cellular cargos. Intracellular activity and proper recruitment of kinesins is regulated by biochemical signaling, cargo adaptors, microtubule-associated proteins, and mechanical forces. In this study, we found that the effect of opposing forces on the kinesin-microtubule attachment duration depends strongly on experimental assay geometry. Using optical tweezers and the conventional single-bead assay, we show that detachment of kinesin from the microtubule is likely accelerated by forces vertical to the long axis of the microtubule due to contact of the single bead with the underlying microtubule. We used the three-bead assay to minimize the vertical force component and found that when the opposing forces are mainly parallel to the microtubule, the median value of attachment durations between kinesin and microtubules can be up to 10-fold longer than observed using the single-bead assay. Using the three-bead assay, we also found that not all microtubule protofilaments are equivalent interacting substrates for kinesin and that the median value of attachment durations of kinesin varies by more than 10-fold, depending on the relative angular position of the forces along the circumference of the microtubule. Thus, depending on the geometry of forces across the microtubule, kinesin can switch from a fast detaching motor (median attachment duration <0.2 s) to a persistent motor that sustains attachment (median attachment duration >3 s) at high forces (5 pN). Our data show that the load-bearing capacity of the kinesin motor is highly variable and can be dramatically affected by off-axis forces and forces across the microtubule lattice, which has implications for a range of cellular activities, including cell division and organelle transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serapion Pyrpassopoulos
- Pennsylvania Muscle Institute, Department of Physiology, and the Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
| | - Henry Shuman
- Pennsylvania Muscle Institute, Department of Physiology, and the Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - E Michael Ostap
- Pennsylvania Muscle Institute, Department of Physiology, and the Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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37
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Rao L, Berger F, Nicholas MP, Gennerich A. Molecular mechanism of cytoplasmic dynein tension sensing. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3332. [PMID: 31350388 PMCID: PMC6659695 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11231-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytoplasmic dynein is the most complex cytoskeletal motor protein and is responsible for numerous biological functions. Essential to dynein’s function is its capacity to respond anisotropically to tension, so that its microtubule-binding domains bind microtubules more strongly when under backward load than forward load. The structural mechanisms by which dynein senses directional tension, however, are unknown. Using a combination of optical tweezers, mutagenesis, and chemical cross-linking, we show that three structural elements protruding from the motor domain—the linker, buttress, and stalk—together regulate directional tension-sensing. We demonstrate that dynein’s anisotropic response to directional tension is mediated by sliding of the coiled-coils of the stalk, and that coordinated conformational changes of dynein’s linker and buttress control this process. We also demonstrate that the stalk coiled-coils assume a previously undescribed registry during dynein’s stepping cycle. We propose a revised model of dynein’s mechanochemical cycle which accounts for our findings. The cytoplasmic motor protein dynein senses directional tension; its microtubule-binding domains bind microtubules more strongly when under backward load. Here the authors use optical tweezers to show that the linker, buttress, and stalk domains together regulate directional tension-sensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Rao
- Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology and Gruss Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Florian Berger
- Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Matthew P Nicholas
- Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology and Gruss Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA.,Medical Scientist Training Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA.,Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, 210 Crittenden Blvd, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
| | - Arne Gennerich
- Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology and Gruss Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA.
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