TITLE: Surveying a Protein Machine's Potential Energy Surface

SPEAKER: Dr. Jed Macosko

TIME: Tuesday Feb. 3, 2004 at 4 PM

PLACE: George P. Williams, Jr. Lecture Hall, (Olin 101)

Nanoscopic protein motors sustain all forms of life. One of these protein machines, reverse transcriptase, allows HIV to copy its genetic information and infect human cells. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM) single molecule fluorescence, the potential energy surface describing the mechanical action of this motor has been mapped. In particular, AFM experiments showed that the motor forces are generated by a clamping motion of the protein's "fingers" region, while fluorescence data at different temperatures revealed the magnitude of the energy barrier for this rate limiting step. Surveying and mapping the potential energy surfaces of protein machines is essential for understanding their function and for developing drugs to halt their activity.