Single myosin lever arm orientation in a muscle fiber detected with photoactivatable GFP.

ABSTRACT: Myosin 2 is the molecular motor in muscle. It binds actin and executes a power stroke by rotating its lever arm through an angle of approximately 70 degrees to translate actin against resistive force. Myosin 2 has evolved to function optimally under crowded conditions where rates and equilibria of macromolecular reactions undergo major shifts relative to those measured in dilute solution. Hence, an important research objective is to detect in situ the lever arm orientation. Single-molecule measurements are preferred because they clarify ambiguities that are unavoidable with ensemble measurements; however, detecting single molecules in the condensed tissue medium where the myosin concentration exceeds 100 muM is challenging. A myosin light chain (MLC) tagged with photoactivatable green fluo

SUBMITTER: Burghardt TP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2709297 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature