Making and measuring macromolecular machines

ZOOM Link: https://cnrs.zoom.us/j/99156743042?pwd=K3FLMFc2cUd4N3VMY0gvbnRIT2V1Zz09

ID meeting : 991 5674 3042

Code secret : vZ82GN

Molecular machines lie at the heart of biological processes ranging from DNA replication to cell migration. We use single-molecule tracking and manipulation to characterize the structural dynamics of these nanoscale assemblies, and further challenge our understanding by designing and testing structural variants with novel properties that expand the functional range of known biomolecular machines. In the process, we are developing an engineering capacity for molecular motors with tunable and dynamically controllable physical properties, providing a toolkit for precise perturbations of mechanical functions. We have recently developed a new generation of light-responsive cytoskeletal motors, enabling precise control of fast and processive molecular transport in vitro and in living cells. I will describe our ongoing efforts to augment and diversify engineered cytoskeletal motors, along with applications in cells and in reconstituted systems. I will further discuss our measurements of dynamics and mechanics in CRISPR endonucleases. In the latter work, we have used high-resolution multimodal single-molecule methods to study the DNA interrogation process, observing intermediate steps in target recognition and probing important effects of DNA torsion on the dynamics and specificity of these nucleoprotein machines.