Filament Transport by Solid-Supported Molecular Motors (Gliding Assays)

    The interactions of cytoskeletal motors and filaments can be studied by gliding (or motility) assays, in which the motors are immobilized on solid surfaces and act to pull the filaments along these surfaces. As one increases the surface density of the filaments, these systems undergo isotropic-nematic phase transitions [1]. The nematic ordering is enhanced by increasing the motor density because the motors lead to an effective lengthening of the filaments.

    The transport of individual filaments by two species of motors, slow and fast ones, leads to different motility regimes with distinct transport patterns [2], in close analogy to the stochastic tug-of-war between two antagonistic teams of motors [3].


  • Xin Li, R. Lipowsky, and J. Kierfeld
    Bifurcation of velocity distributions in cooperative transport of filaments by fast and slow motors.
     Bifurcation of velocity distributions in cooperative transport ... - Supporting Information.
     Biophys. J. 104, 666-676 (2013).

  • Xin Li, R. Lipowsky, and J. Kiefeld
    Critical motor number for fractional steps of cytoskeletal filaments in gliding assays.
     PLoS ONE 7, e43219 (2012)

  • J. Kierfeld, K. Baczynski, P. Gutjahr, T. Kühne, and R. Lipowsky
    Modelling semiflexible polymers: Shape analysis, buckling instabilities, and force generation.
     Soft Matter 6, 5764-5769 (2010).

  • 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).

  • 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).

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

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