Key result
The persistence length of actin filaments can be determined and is related to the amount of locally adsorbed heavy meromyosin on microcontact printed patterns.
The study demonstrates a method to determine the persistence length of actin filaments, providing a basis for optimizing the design of future nanodevices incorporating the actomyosin system for active transport.
Protein molecular motors, which convert chemical energy into kinetic energy, are prime candidates for use in nanodevice in which active transport is required. To be able to design these devices it is essential that the properties of the cytoskeletal filaments propelled by the molecular motors are well established. Here we used micro-contact printed BSA to limit the amount of HMM that can adsorb creating a tightly confined pathway for the filaments to travel. Both the image and statistical analysis of the movement of the filaments through these structures have been used to new insights into the motility behaviour of actomyosin on topographically homogenous, but motor-heterogeneous planar systems. It will be shown that it is possible to determine the persistence length of the filaments and that it is related to the amount of locally adsorbed HMM. This provides a basis that can be used to optimize the design of future nanodevices incorporating the actomyosin system for the active transport.
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Hajne et al. (2015) studied this question. Micro-contact printed BSA to limit HMM adsorption was evaluated on Persistence length of actin filaments. The persistence length of actin filaments can be determined and is related to the amount of locally adsorbed heavy meromyosin on microcontact printed patterns.
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