Scientists Confirm Dynamin Molecular Motor’s Constriction Mechanism

A team at Kanzawa University used the measurement technique of single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer, or smFRET, as well as a computable model, to develop a method that determined the strength of an individual dynamin motor. Dynamin, which refers to a family of biomolecules, is a protein that is a central player in endocytosis — a process that mediates the entry of diverse particles into cells, from nutrients to viruses. Its primary activity is to use guanosine triphosphate as fuel to constrict and cut membrane tubes. However, the key quantitative aspects of dynamin’s function remain unclear. smFRET enables measurement of distances in biomolecules in the nanometer range. Specifically, smFRET is the...