Lehrstuhl für Biomolekulare Nanotechnologie, Physik Department, Technische Universität München, Garching near Munich, Germany.
Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Technische Universität München, Garching near Munich, Germany.
Nat Commun. 2021 Dec 8;12(1):7138. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27230-7.
Biological molecular motors transform chemical energy into mechanical work by coupling cyclic catalytic reactions to large-scale structural transitions. Mechanical deformation can be surprisingly efficient in realizing such coupling, as demonstrated by the FF ATP synthase. Here, we describe a synthetic molecular mechanism that transforms a rotary motion of an asymmetric camshaft into reciprocating large-scale transitions in a surrounding stator orchestrated by mechanical deformation. We design the mechanism using DNA origami, characterize its structure via cryo-electron microscopy, and examine its dynamic behavior using single-particle fluorescence microscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. While the camshaft can rotate inside the stator by diffusion, the stator's mechanics makes the camshaft pause at preferred orientations. By changing the stator's mechanical stiffness, we accelerate or suppress the Brownian rotation, demonstrating an allosteric coupling between the camshaft and the stator. Our mechanism provides a framework for manufacturing artificial nanomachines that function because of coordinated movements of their components.
生物分子马达通过将循环催化反应与大规模结构转变偶联，将化学能转化为机械能。机械变形在实现这种偶联方面可以非常有效，正如 FF ATP 合酶所证明的那样。在这里，我们描述了一种合成分子机制，该机制将不对称凸轮轴的旋转运动转化为周围定子的往复式大规模转变，由机械变形协调。我们使用 DNA 折纸设计该机制，通过低温电子显微镜对其结构进行表征，并使用单粒子荧光显微镜和分子动力学模拟研究其动态行为。虽然凸轮轴可以通过扩散在定子内旋转，但定子的力学使凸轮轴在优选方向上暂停。通过改变定子的机械刚度，我们加速或抑制布朗旋转，证明凸轮轴和定子之间存在变构偶联。我们的机制为制造人工纳米机器提供了一个框架，这些纳米机器的功能是由于其组件的协调运动。
