Exploiting and exploring microtubules and kinesin motor proteins in nanofabricated devices

Exploiting and exploring microtubules and kinesin motor proteins in nanofabricated devices

Van den Heuvel, M.G.L.

Dekker, C. (promotor)

Applied Sciences

2007-09-10

This thesis describes experimental work at the interface of nanotechnology and biology. We combine fabrication techniques from nanotechnology with motor proteins from the biological cell. Motor proteins are fascinating protein complexes with nanometer dimensions that are involved in force generation and motion inside cells. One intriguing opportunity to consider is whether these motor proteins can be used as active force-generating components in nanofabricated devices. The exploitation of motor proteins for nanotechnological tasks, in particular the motor protein kinesin that translocates along microtubules, is the focus of the first part of this thesis. Furthermore, we show that nanofabricated devices form an excellent system for fundamental studies of the physics of individual biomolecules. The exploration of their properties is described in the second part of this thesis.

kinesin
microtubules
nanotechnology
electrophoresis
bionanotechnology
hydronamic orientation

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:80c21281-6c2d-4b70-beb3-1d67ed5ce8e0

978-90-8593-033-4

Institutional Repository

doctoral thesis

(c) 2007 M.G.L. van den Heuvel