Investigating Myosin Ensemble Force Generation Using Optical Tweezers

Author

Janie WattsFollow

Date of Award

Spring 4-28-2023

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Chemical Engineering

First Advisor

Nikki Reinemann

Second Advisor

Adam Smith

Third Advisor

Yi Hua

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Myosin is a motor protein that facilitates muscle contraction and movement by stepping along actin filaments using energy from ATP hydrolysis. If myosin or other motors are disrupted throughout the body, it can have many harmful effects. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a disease caused by gene mutations that affect myosin heavy chains in the heart. The tissue of the heart becomes abnormally thick, which can make it more difficult to pump blood or block blood flow out of the heart. Our goal is to discern the mechanistic difference function of a healthy and diseased heart. To accomplish this, we construct model actomyosin environments and measure their force generation using optical tweezers. Most studies completed on these subjects in the past have been done on individual motor proteins, which is not the best representation of how they function in the human body. We have worked to make models of myosin and actin bundles that function as similarly to human muscle as possible. These models produce displacement and force profiles that can be analyzed to find the average cycles and work done for each bundle. These tests have resulted in three main force profiles, each showing the distinct signs of myosin stepping even with different optimized force production from the proteins.

Recommended Citation

Watts, Janie, "Investigating Myosin Ensemble Force Generation Using Optical Tweezers" (2023). Honors Theses. 2874.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2874

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