Development of electromagnetic tweezers for single-molecule energetics of kinesin

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Authors: Haruyuki Fukuzawa, Yuga Ihara, Masato Sawa, Hidekazu Shirai, Sawako Enoki, Keigo Ikezaki, Taketoshi Kambara, Yasushi Okada
Cited by: 0

Abstract

applications due to photothermal effects and refractive-index-dependent force calibration. Here, we developed electromagnetic tweezers featuring horizontal magnetic field geometry that enables force application along the microtubule axis for translational motor measurements. We validated the platform by reproducing established kinesin mechanics: stall force of ~6 pN and, using the Harada-Sasa equality to quantify nonequilibrium dissipation, an estimated energy conversion efficiency of ~20%, both consistent with optical tweezers results. We further demonstrated that FDT violations increase with ATP concentration following Michaelis-Menten kinetics, consistent with kinesin's enzymatic turnover. These results establish electromagnetic tweezers as a complementary tool offering advantages in high-throughput measurements and environment-independent force calibration, providing a foundation for future applications where these capabilities are essential.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Microtubule and mitosis dynamics Mechanical and Optical Resonators ATP Synthase and ATPases Research

Publication details

Journal / source
Biophysics and Physicobiology
Volume
23
Issue
1
Pages
n/a–n/a
Publication date
1 January 2026
Language
EN