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First synthetic protein motor creates its own fuel as it 'mows'
Protein-based molecular motors are essential for life. Now, meet 'The Lawnmower' – the first synthetic motor modeled that propels itself by harnessing the energy it creates as it cuts through fields of proteins. It could transform how we treat disease.
“Imagine if a Roomba could be powered only by the dirt it picks up,” said Nancy Forde, Simon Fraser University (SFU) physics professor and co-corresponding author of a study in which she and her fellow researchers outline their creation, a synthetic molecular motor that harnesses the energy of biological reactions to propel itself. All living organisms, from humans to bacteria and plants, are kept alive by protein-based molecular motors that convert energy from one form into mechanical forces and motion that enable cell division, cargo delivery, movement towards food or light, and maintaining healthy tissues. “If the rules that we’ve learned from studying nature’s molecules are correct and sufficient, then we should be able to build motors out of different protein parts and have them work in expected ways,” Forde said.
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