Molecular bio-motors in living cells

Abstract

The final goal of our group is to establish the missing link between chemical reaction and mechanical event in molecular motors. To achieve this, we have developed advanced versions of conventional optical microscopes and applied them into single-molecule techniques. In this chapter we present two studies: one is about the kinesin-microtubule system and the other F1-ATPase. These techniques are applicable to other molecular machines, hopefully in more sophisticated ways, and we hope to investigate this in future studies. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.