The motor protein kinesin-1 plays an essential role in transporting cellular cargoes within eukaryotic cells. A group of kinesins ``walking' together can cooperatively transport various cellular cargo over relatively long distances. While much is known about the transport by individual kinesin-1 molecules, very little is known about the specific mechanisms of cooperative kinesin-based transport. Here, we developed a two-dimensional stochastic model of cargo transport via multiple kinesins. The simulation focuses on the modeling of quantum dot cargoes transported along a microtubule. We found that high motor densities lead to increased run lengths, increased association times and decreased velocities, and that our stochastic model recapitulates experimental data reasonably well.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• O'Neill, Andrew Michael

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-031413-165336

Advisor

• Tuzel, Erkan

Year

• 2013

Date created

• 2013-03-14

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Physics

Rights statement

• In Copyright