Single Molecule Studies of Motor
Enzymes in Viral and Cellular DNA Packaging
Bacteriophages
are viruses that infect bacteria. In
the assembly of many phages a hollow protein capsid assembles first and
is then filled with DNA by the action of a tiny "molecular motor" which
is powered by chemical energy (ATP hydrolysis). We
use optical tweezers to pull on a single DNA molecule as it is being packaged
into a single phage capsid. This
allows us to measure DNA translocation and the forces generated by the
molecular motor in real time.
|
Search: [ current | former scholar ] [ current | awarded institution ] [ quick search ]
