Force and Power of a Synthetic Myosin II-Based Machine

Abstract

The function as a collective motor of skeletal muscle myosin II is studied in vitro with a synthetic bio-machine, consisting of an ensemble of myosin motors interacting with a single actin filament attached with the correct polarity to a bead trapped in the focus of a Dual Laser Optical Tweezers (DLOT, Bianco et al. Biophys. J.101:866-874, 2011). The motor ensemble provides the condition for cyclic interactions with the actin filament, allowing the development of steady force and filament sliding. The mechanical outputs of the machine are measured by means of the DLOT, which acts as a force transducer (range 0.5-200 pN and resolution ∼0.3 pN), and a piezoelectric nano-positioner carrying the support for the myosin motors, which acts as a length transducer (range 1-75.000 nm and resolution ∼1 nm). Here is reported the performance of a first version of the machine, consisting of an ensemble of myosin motors purified from frog skeletal muscle randomly adsorbed on the surface of a chemically etched single-mode optical fibre with diameter 4 µm. Isometric and isotonic contractions are reproduced by the motor ensemble in solution with physiological [ATP] (2 mM) and temperature 21 °C. Following a drop in force from the maximum isometric value (F0) to a lower value (F), the actin filament slides at a constant velocity (V) which is larger the smaller the force, as expected from the in vivo force-velocity relation. Up to five F-V points for each interaction can be determined, allowing the definition of the maximum power at F ∼0.3 F0 (V ∼2 µm/s) and demonstrating the unequalled ability of the synthetic machine to define the power of native and engineered myosin II motors from striated muscle. Supported by IIT-SEED, Genova and ECRF, 2015 (Italy).