Thursday's seminar

[CM ICTP - Trieste]

CONDENSED MATTER AND STATISTICAL PHYSICS SECTION

	
INFORMAL SEMINAR  on  Statistical Physics



Thursday, 26 June    -    11:00 a.m.



Seminar Room,  Leonardo Bldg.- first floor

		


A. GARAI   ( Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur )



" Two-state model for two different molecular motors: Monomeric 
helicase and KIF1A "


Abstract

Biological molecular motors are the enzymes which play crucial  roles 
in different cellular and developmental processes in a living cell.
  Helicases are molecular motors that unwind double-stranded nucleic 
acids  such as DNA and RNA. KIF1A is a single headed kinesin motor that 
takes part in intracellular transport along microtubule from cell 
center to cell  periphery.  They both perform mechanical work by 
hydrolyzing ATP.
In the flashing ratchet picture, the motor proteins switch between two  
states: one where the motor is tightly bound to the track and another  
where the motor is weakly bound and can diffuse along the track.  This  
flashing ratchet mechanism can be found in these two motors.  In this 
talk I will discuss the speed of unwinding of the double stranded 
nucleic acid and fluctuations around the average unwinding velocity of 
the monomeric  helicase. Then I will emphasize the effects of 
mechanochemistry  and steric interactions on the KIF1A traffic.