Veigel group
Single molecule studies of motor proteins
Research overview
We are using single molecule techniques to study molecular mechanisms underlying cellular motility. Our group currently focuses in particular on myosin motors, investigating the basic mechanisms of chemo-mechanical energy transduction and regulation, and uses mechanical and imaging techniques including optical tweezers, fluorescence and atomic force microscopy. More recently we also apply these techniques to study processes involved in membrane fusion. We also investigate mechanisms involving ensembles of motor proteins and their filament tracks, such as the invasion process of parasites into host cells.
Read more about single molecule studies, techniques and our research aims
Research areas ::
- Optical tweezers
- Myosin motors
- Malaria parasite motility
Collaborations
Our collaborations include other groups within NIMR (Divisions of Physical Biochemistry, Mathematical Biology, Virology and Parasitology), with LMB Cambridge and NIH Bethesda. We are funded by MRC and the Royal Society and are part of the Oxford IRC in Bionanotechnology.
Selected publications ::
- Veigel C, Schmitz S, Wang F and Sellers JR (2005)
Load-dependent kinetics of myosin-V can explain its high processivity.
Nature Cell Biology 7, 861-869 PubMed abstract - Schmitz S, Grainger M, Howell S, Calder LJ, Gaeb M, Pinder JC, Holder AA,
Veigel C.(2005)
Malaria Parasite Actin Filaments are Very Short.
Journal of Molecular Biology 349:113-25 PubMed abstract - Lister, I; Schmitz, S; Walker, M; Trinick, J; Buss, F; Veigel, C and Kendrick-Jones,
J (2004)
A monomeric myosin VI with a large working stroke.
EMBO Journal 23, 1729-1738 PubMed abstract - Veigel, C; Molloy, JE; Schmitz, S and Kendrick-Jones, J (2003)
Load-dependent kinetics of force production by smooth muscle myosin measured with optical tweezers.
Nature Cell Biology 5, 980-986 PubMed abstract - Veigel, C; Wang, F; Bartoo, ML; Sellers, JR and Molloy, JE (2002)
The gated gait of the processive molecular motor, myosin V.
Nature Cell Biology 4, 59-65 PubMed abstract - Veigel C, Coluccio LM, Jontes JD, Sparrow JC, Milligan RA, Molloy JE. (1999)
The motor protein myosin-I produces its working stroke in two steps.
Nature 398, 530-533 PubMed abstract
[Page last updated 20 Feb 2007]