Molecular Motors: Cargo Transport by Several Motors

    In biological cells, molecular motors transport various types of cargo particles such as vesicles, organelles, and filaments. This cargo transport is performed by small teams consisting of several motor molecules. If all motors belong to the same molecular species, their cooperative action leads to uni-directional transport with a strongly increased run length and a characteristic force dependence of the velocity distributions. [1] [2] The run length may also be enhanced by crosslinking the cargo to the filament via additional motor molecules that diffuse along the filament. [3] If two antagonistic species of motors pull on the cargo in opposite directions, they perform a stochastic tug-of-war which induces several distinct patterns of bi-directional transport. [4] [5]

  • F. Berger, C. Keller, S. Klumpp, and R. Lipowsky.
    Distinct transport regimes for two elastically coupled molecular motors.
    Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press, 2012). PDF (332 KB)

  • F. Berger, C. Keller, M. J. I. Müller, S. Klumpp, and R. Lipowsky
    Co-operative transport of molecular motors.
    Biochem. Soc. Trans. 39, 1211-1215 (2011). PDF (352 KB)

  • M. Schuster, R. Lipowsky, M.-A. Assmann, P. Lenz, and G. Steinberg
    Transient binding of dynein controls bidirectional long-range motility of early endosomes.
    PNAS 108, 3618-3623 (2011). PDF (1 MB)

  • M. J. I. Müller, S. Klumpp, and R. Lipowsky
    Bidirectional transport by molecular motors: Enhanced processivity and response to external forces.
    Biophys. J. 98, 2610-2618 (2010). PDF (410 KB)
    Supporting material: PDF (229 KB)

  • R, Lipowsky , J. Beeg, R. Dimova, S. Klumpp, and M. J. I. Müller
    Cooperative behavior of molecular motors: Cargo transport and traffic phenomena.
    Physica E 42, 649-661 (2010) PDF (552 KB)

  • C. Korn, S. Klumpp, R. Lipowsky, and U.S. Schwarz
    Stochastic simulations of cargo transport by processive molecular motors.
    J. Chem. Phys. 131, 245107 (2009) PDF (372 KB)

  • F. Berger, M. J. I. Müller, and R. Lipowsky
    Enhancement of the processivity of kinesin-transported cargo by myosin V.
    EPL 87, 28002 (2009). PDF (248 KB)

  • M. J. I. Müller, S. Klumpp, and R. Lipowsky
    Motility states of molecular motors engaged in a stochastic tug-of-war.
    J. Stat. Phys. 133, 1059-1081 (2008). PDF (876 KB)

  • M. J. I. Müller, S. Klumpp, and R. Lipowsky
    Tug-of-war as a cooperative mechanism for bidirectional cargo transport by molecular motors.
    PNAS 105, 4609 - 4614 (2008). PDF (332 KB)
    Supporting Information: PDF (304 KB)

  • J. Beeg, S. Klumpp, R. Dimova, R. S. Gracia, E. Unger, and R. Lipowsky
    Transport of beads by several kinesin motors.
    Biophys. J. 94, 532-541 (2008). PDF (272 KB)

  • J. Kierfeld, K. Frentzel, P. Kraikivski, and R. Lipowsky
    Active dynamics of filaments in motility assays.
    Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics 157, 123-133 (2008). PDF (672 KB)

  • J. Kierfeld, P. Gutjahr, T. Kühne, P. Kraikivski and R. Lipowsky
    Buckling, Bundling, and Pattern Formation: From Semi-Flexible Polymers to Assemblies of Interacting Filaments.
    J. Comput. Theor. Nanosci. 3, 1 - 14 (2006). PDF (544 KB)

  • J. Kierfeld, P. Kraikivski and R. Lipowsky
    Filament ordering and clustering by molecular motors in motility assays.
    Biophys. Rev. Lett. 1, 363 - 374 (2006). PDF (480 KB)

  • S. Klumpp, M.J.I. Müller, and R. Lipowsky
    Cooperative transport by small teams of molecular motors.
    Biophys. Rev. Lett. 1, 353 - 361 (2006). PDF (180 KB)

  • R. Lipowsky, Y. Chai, S. Klumpp, S. Liepelt and M.J.I. Müller
    Molecular motor traffic: From biological nanomachines to macroscopic transport.
    Physica A 372, 34 - 51 (2006). PDF (444 KB)

  • P. Kraikivski, R. Lipowsky and J. Kierfeld
    Enhanced ordering of interacting filaments by molecular motors.
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 , 258103 (2006). PDF (464 KB)
    Appendices: PDF (176 KB)

  • R. Lipowsky
    The Physics of Bio-Systems: From Molecules to Networks
    Biophys. Rev. Lett. 1, 223 - 230 (2006) PDF (1 MB)

  • S. Klumpp and R. Lipowsky
    Active Diffusion of Motor Particles.
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 268102 (2005). PDF (172 KB)

  • S. Klumpp and R. Lipowsky
    Cooperative cargo transport by several molecular motors.
    PNAS 102, 17284 - 17289 (2005). PDF (264 KB)
    Supporting Information: PDF (108 KB)