Molecular Motor Struts Like Drunken Sailor

Molecular motors, built from proteins, are a kind of transport service that keep us functioning by trafficking essential chemical packages throughout the cell. To understand how molecular motors work, some researchers are creating animations. Here, each "leg" of a molecular motor called dynein moves as it progresses along a cellular structure called a microtubule. New data—collected by a team led by Samara Reck-Peterson and published online Jan. 8, 2012, in "Nature Structural & Molecular Biology"—suggest that dynein's walk is even stranger than the one modeled.

[kadamitas]

Anyone else here because they watched Kurzgesagt's Lyssa virus video thinking "Hey, dynein motors can't really be bipedal right? that must be an artstyle choice, is it really?"?

[CheesyWink]

I think it is a crime that I went through biology and didn't learn this in high school!
It's amazing to understand there is an army of these little cellular waiters that are
transporting nutrients throughout their own cells, and sharing nutrients with other cells,
to avoid blowing up from over nutrition, like I feel right now after having...
Two cheesy gordita crunches from taco bell, lmao.

[Lambent_Omega]

Look at the little dude go! He's trying his best! His job is important like everything else! :)

[tcaDNAp]

No, we’re in no state to go to a restaurant. Let’s just dyne in tonight

[idot]

It's amazing that the same mechanisms that we evolved to transport ourselves, legs, evolved far before that in tiny molecular machines.

[brittanysears]

Lovely animation. I would love to see it with some narration for my Bio 1 students.

[LeonardlLP]

Do those things actually walk?? That's crazy

[LirylCrovyn]

So cool! It looks like a monster from a horror game. Lol

[lulucatmiao]

In agreement with what Samara found, computer simulations show that other molecular motors, such as kinesin, walks on microtubule like a drunk man.

During a single step, kinesin does not move unidirectionally, but instead undergoes bidirectional random walk like a drunk man (see the video response or search "drunk kinesin" on youtube).

[JoanWhack]

You cannot tell me that isn’t a living being, strutting his little self along. I won’t listen. That’s a small creatoid.

[pulmonaryarchery]

kinda reminds me of the AT-ST's from star wars

[marinkraljevic]

It is hard to believe that perfect system like this can be done by evolution. More likely it is designed from a Creator, like all other things.

[Zopitas]

¡¡ omg !!....poor little little bro's (this are NOT "engines or "motors", , , but LIFE, just a reproduction-asisted way or one (life)...such pre-requisite "científic" about life HAVE TO reproduces itself is an error) !!...perhapps less " 'cohol's " in the molécule structure helps !!..

:) :) :)