SYDNEY, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Scientists in Australia have developed what they describe as the first programmable artificial protein motor capable of controlled, directional movement along a DNA track.
The protein system, named "Tumbleweed," moves by alternating between three "feet" that bind to specific DNA sequences. Researchers can control both the timing and direction of movement by changing the surrounding chemical environment, according to a statement released recently by Australia's University of New South Wales (UNSW).
UNSW Professor Paul Curmi said the work, the culmination of two decades of research and a synthetic biology milestone, shows new protein behaviors can be engineered "by assembling existing biological components in new ways."
Tumbleweed is built from protein modules that individually lack motor function but collectively form a nanoscale machine capable of walking along engineered DNA tracks, taking multiple 16-nanometer steps in response to externally supplied chemical signals.
"Our immediate goals are to determine how far can Tumbleweed walk (currently about 100 nanometers) and how fast can it walk (currently about 1 nanometer per second)," said Curmi, the corresponding author of the study published in Nature Nanotechnology.
Natural molecular motors such as kinesin, dynein and myosin play essential roles in living cells. Researchers said building artificial motor proteins could reveal how these systems work and how they might be redesigned.
The work lays the foundation for programmable protein nanomachines and ultimately autonomous synthetic molecular motors, potentially enabling massively parallel biocomputation that is energy-efficient, sustainable and scalable, researchers added. ■