Molecular motor moves DNA in cell nucleus
from the why-did-this-take-so-long dept.
Bryan Hall brings to our attention an article at National Geographic News on the molecular motor found inside the cell's nucleus: Scientists have long pondered how, inside the nucleus of a cell, long stretches of DNA are moved through the huge enzyme factories that transcribe DNA's genetic information into messages made of RNA. Now, for the first time, a team of scientists from the University of Illinois at Chicago has demonstrated the presence of a "molecular motor" inside the nucleus, where it appears to be powering the assembly line that forges RNA messages off of the long DNA templates. The finding is reported in the Oct. 13 issue of the journal Science…Despite the fact that transcribing DNA is itself prodigious work, many scientists did not believe that myosin existed in the nucleus — indeed, no motor molecule had ever been found there. "We had an uphill battle to convince our colleagues," de Lanerolle said.
October 23rd, 2000 at 4:56 PM
This will become elementary to biomedicine…
Biologists know that molecular motors such as actin, myosin, and dynein are instrumental in the functioning of microtubules and microfilaments, the fundamental structures of the cell buttressing its architecture. Just as many organelles utilize motor molecule receptors to move themselves along the filaments of the cell, future medical 'nanobots' could also function more efficiently with motor molecule receptors and thus take advantage of the cell's natural transportation system in order to achieve its programmed goals!