Motor Proteins: Tiny Pirates in Your Cells
To some they look like bow-legged cowboys. To others, swaggering pirates. Either way, the two-legged molecules known as motor proteins are what get the job of living done in most of your cells....
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[Intro] If you've ever taken an Intro to Biology class, you might have noticed that there are some pretty big but pretty basic things about your own cells that never really get explained. Or at least not explained well. Like, what makes your cells divide when they copy themselves, and how does stuff get carried from one part of cell to another, and who's doing all the carrying? The answer to all of these questions and more is a feat of biological engineering in which a tiny peg-legged pirate walks microscopic planks to carry cargo all around your cells. Sorta. The pirates are two-legged molecules called motor proteins. Their job is to carry cellular material wherever it's needed, whether it's food or signaling molecules or genetic informa...
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[Intro] If you've ever taken an Intro to Biology class, you might have noticed that there are some pretty big but pretty basic things about your own cells that never really get explained. Or at least not explained well. Like, what makes your cells divide when they copy themselves, and how does stuff get carried from one part of cell to another, and who's doing all the carrying? The answer to all of these questions and more is a feat of biological engineering in which a tiny peg-legged pirate walks microscopic planks to carry cargo all around your cells. Sorta. The pirates are two-legged molecules called motor proteins. Their job is to carry cellular material wherever it's needed, whether it's food or signaling molecules or genetic informa...
