High Precision Imaging of the World of Proteins within a Cell

Ahmet Yildiz
University of California, Berkeley

Monday, June 1, 2009 at 1:00PM
54-134 Engineering IV Building
Refreshments Served

Abstract: Kinesin is a bipedal motor protein that is responsible for carrying vital cargoes by taking 8 nm sized steps toward the plus end of microtubule filaments. We are interested in understanding the mechanical properties of this unique enzyme by combining protein engineering and single molecule imaging techniques. We have tracked fluorescent particles attached to kinesin motors with one nanometer precision and showed that kinesin moves by taking alternating left and right steps, similar to human walking. One of the major challenges is to address how kinesin coordinates the movement of its identical catalytic domains. To test whether mechanical tension has a role in head-to-head coordination, we have engineered new kinesin motor proteins with different biophysical features. Our results show that kinesin moves by generating tension on its rear catalytic domain through its neck-linkers by an ATP-dependent conformational change.

Biography: Dr. Ahmet Yildiz received his Ph.D. in Biophysics in 2004 from the University of Illinois, urbana-Champaign. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California San Francisco. He is the receipient of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Career Award at the Scientific Interface (2007), Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund Postdoctoral Fellowship (2006), and Grand Prize Winner of the Young Scientist Award, AAAS and GE Healthcare (2006).