6] Building and using optical traps to study properties of molecular motors

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the building and using of optical traps to study the properties of molecular motors. Optical trapping experiments very directly measure the velocity, force, step size, and processive run length of molecular motors. The velocity, stall force, step size, and processive run length of molecular motors have all been determined using in vitro motility assays, both at the multiple- and the single-molecule levels. Optical trapping experiments in particular are used to gain information on stall forces, step sizes, and kinetics of a variety of molecular motors, such as kinesins, myosins, and processive DNA enzymes. Optical trapping assays are now performed on a variety of different systems using experimental techniques that may apply well to new, uncharacterized molecular motors and other biological macromolecules as well. These developments in both the technology and the assays involved in optical trapping have made the technique more accessible, increasing the likelihood that the optical trap can become a standard microscope used in laboratories that study movement and force in biological systems.