Microtubule Dumbbells to Assess the Effect of Force Geometry on Single Kinesin Motors

The cytoskeletal motors myosin, kinesin, and dynein and their corresponding tracks, actin and microtubules, are force generating ATPases responsible for motility and morphological changes at the intracellular, cellular, and tissue levels. The pioneering application of optical tweezers to measure the force-producing properties of cytoskeletal motors has provided an unparalleled understanding of their mechanochemistry. The mechanosensitivity of processive, microtubule-based motors has largely been studied in the optical trap using the “single-bead” assay, where a bead-attached motor is held adjacent to a cytoskeletal filament as it processively steps along it. However, because of the geometrical constraints in the conventional single-bead assay, the motor-filament bond is not only loaded parallel to the long axis of the filament, but also perpendicular to the long axis of the filament. This perpendicular force, which is inherent in the conventional single-bead assay, accelerates the motor-filament detachment and has not been carefully considered in prior experiments. An alternative approach is the “three-bead” assay, which was developed for the study of non-processive myosin motors. The vertical force component is minimized in this assay, and the total opposing force is mainly parallel to the microtubule. Experiments with kinesin show that microtubule attachment durations can be highly variable and last for up to tenfold longer times in the three-bead assay, compared to the single-bead assay. Thus, the ability of kinesin to bear mechanical load and remain attached to microtubules depends on the forces in more than one dimension. In this chapter, we provide detailed methods for preparing the proteins, buffers, flow chambers, and bead-filament assemblies for performing the three-bead assay with microtubules and their motors.