Cooperativity in the motor activities of the ATP-fueled molecular motors

Abstract

Kinesin, myosin and F 1-ATPase are multi-domain molecular motors with multiple catalytic subunits. The motor mechanochemics are achieved via the conversion of ATP hydrolysis energy into forces and motions. We find that the catalysis of these molecular motors do not follow the simple Michaelis–Menten mechanism. The motor activities, such as the hydrolysis or processive rates, of kinesin, myosin and F 1-ATPase have a complex ATP-dependent cooperativity. To understand this complexity in kinetics and mechanochemics, we develop a conformation correlation theory of cooperativity for the ATP-fueled motor proteins. The quantitative analysis and simulations indicate that cooperativity is induced by the conformational coupling of binding states of different subunits and prevails in the motor activities.