The Mechanics and Regulation of Myosin Motors (B06)

• Subject Area: Biophysics
• Term: from 2010 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 111166240

The aim of this project is to understand the mechanics of motor proteins at the single molecule level and their cooperative organisation for specific cellular motile functions. We will apply a combination of bulk and single molecule technologies to study the mechanical properties of lipid-binding and actin-cross-linking myosin motors. We propose to apply optical tweezers and electron microscopy to study motor regulation, and to develop microfabrication-based /in-vitro/ assays which we will combine with mathematical modelling to investigate the dynamics of acto-myosin ensembles at near physiological geometries and protein concentrations.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 863: Forces in Biomolecular Systems
• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität München (TUM)
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Claudia Veigel