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Artificial Motor Proteins: toward a designed, autonomous protein motor built from non-motor parts

Project description

Design and creation of autonomous protein motors

The ultimate goal of the EU-funded ArtMotor project is to design and build from the bottom up functional, synthetic protein motors capable of moving and transducing energy. The project will capitalise on the expertise in computational protein design, structural and molecular biology, and the utilisation of existing non-motor protein modules of known molecular function. The researchers will construct relatively simple protein motors that require external control while approaching the creation of an autonomous protein motor capable of moving along a track. Building autonomous protein motors with a wide range of properties, functionalities and performance characteristics could allow the transduction of the chemical energy into mechanical work more efficiently than human-made combustion engines.

Objective

Molecular motors and machines are essential for all cellular processes that together enable life. Built from proteins, with a wide range of properties, functionalities and performance characteristics, biological motors perform complex tasks and can transduce chemical energy into mechanical work more efficiently than human-made combustion engines. Sophisticated studies of biological protein motors have led to much structural and biophysical information and the development of models for motor function.

However, from the study of highly evolved, biological motors it remains difficult to discern detailed mechanisms, for example about the relative role of different force generation mechanisms, or how information is communicated across a protein to achieve the necessary coordination. A promising, complementary approach to answering these questions is to build synthetic protein motors from the bottom up. Indeed, much effort has been invested in functional protein design, but so far, the ‘holy grail’ of designing and building a functional synthetic protein motor has not been realized.

The purpose of ArtMotor is to design and build functional, synthetic protein motors capable of moving and transducing energy, based on existing, non-motor protein modules of known molecular function. Harnessing the synergy of expertise in computational protein design, structural and molecular biology, and single-molecule detection, we will use a two-pronged approach to (a) construct relatively simple protein motors that will require external control, while (b) construct, step by step, an autonomous protein motor capable of moving along a track. Such a functional, synthetic protein will constitute a ground-breaking advance in synthetic biology, physics and engineering. In addition to gaining new insights into mechanisms of energy transduction in proteins, we will also inspire other, complex protein designs that may lead to advances in fields from enzyme design to nano-engineering.

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-SyG - Synergy grant

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2020-SyG

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Host institution

LUNDS UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 3 496 802,00
Address
Paradisgatan 5c
22100 Lund
Sweden

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Region
Södra Sverige Sydsverige Skåne län
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 3 496 802,00

Beneficiaries (3)

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