Issue 34, 2022

High-throughput force measurement of individual kinesin-1 motors during multi-motor transport

Abstract

Molecular motors often work in teams to move a cellular cargo. Yet measuring the forces exerted by each motor is challenging. Using a sensor made with denatured ssDNA and multi-color fluorescence, we measured picoNewtons of forces and nanometer distances exerted by individual constrained kinesin-1 motors acting together while driving a common microtubule in vitro. We find that kinesins primarily exerted less than 1 pN force, even while the microtubule is bypassing artificial obstacles of 20–100 nanometer size. Occasionally, individual forces increase upon encountering obstacles, although at other times they do not, with the cargo continuing in a directional manner. Our high-throughput technique, which can measure forces by many motors simultaneously, is expected to be useful for many different types of molecular motors.

Graphical abstract: High-throughput force measurement of individual kinesin-1 motors during multi-motor transport

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Mar 2022
Accepted
09 Aug 2022
First published
15 Aug 2022

Nanoscale, 2022,14, 12463-12475

Author version available

High-throughput force measurement of individual kinesin-1 motors during multi-motor transport

S. Shukla, A. Troitskaia, N. Swarna, B. K. Maity, M. Tjioe, C. S. Bookwalter, K. M. Trybus, Y. R. Chemla and P. R. Selvin, Nanoscale, 2022, 14, 12463 DOI: 10.1039/D2NR01701F

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