Molecular motor insight
Molecular motors are unimaginably tiny protein-based engines that convert energy into a fuel that can be used by cells, and have functions such as enabling sperm to swim, making muscles move or turning light signals into nerve impulses in the eye. Investigators from the MRC’s Dunn Human Nutrition Unit and Laboratory of Molecular Biology have discovered the structure of the rotor from one such molecular motor. This is a major step forward in understanding the basis of many biological processes. The breakthrough, which came from studying the gut bacteria Enterococcus hirae, may shed light on how our bodies make energy from food.
Science 2005; 308: 654-659