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PhD in Mathematical Biology and Biophysical Chemistry

Single-molecule mechanochemistry of kinesin-1

Supervisors: Nick Carter (Division of Biomedical Cell Biology, Warwick Medical School) and Matthew Turner (Department of Physics)

Kinesin-1 is a protein that plays a crucial role in intracellular transport. It is a molecular motor with a directional bias, hydrolysing one ATP molecule per forward step along the microtubule (its molecular track). To improve our understanding of how kinesin works, I have addressed how the mechanochemistry (force-dependent reaction pathways) of backward steps differs from that of forward steps, and how cargo size affects the motor. My research has involved single-molecule optical-trapping experiments and mechanochemical modelling.