What kits does Cytoskeleton offer to measure molecular motor activity?
FAQ from Cytoskeleton
Kinesin motor proteins use microtubules (MTs) as a substrate to orchestrate a wide range of kinetic events within a cell. Kinesins operate by utilizing the energy of ATP by hydrolysis, an activity that is greatly enhanced in the presence of MTs. Microtubule activation of the ATPase activity of motor proteins can be measured with a kinesin ATPase assay. Cytoskeleton developed two such assays, one end-point and one kinetic, that are used to measure inorganic phosphate (Pi) levels generated by MT-activated kinesin adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity. These two kinesin ATPase biochem assay kits contain MTs and kinesin heavy chain (KHC) protein along with the necessary buffers and reagents to measure Pi production as a means of measuring molecular motor activity. These kits are useful for discovering kinesin inhibitors and activators as well as determining Vmax and Kcat values for a kinesin motor protein.
Cytoskeleton, Inc. also offers a Biochem Kit which allows the visualization of motor protein motility using fluorescently-labeled microtubules.