COMMUNICATIVE INTERACTION OF MYOSINS ALONG AN ACTIN FILAMENT IN THE PRESENCE OF ATP

Myosin molecules contacting an actin filament in the presence of ATP w ere found to regulate the filamental fluctuations due to ATP hydrolysi s in a communicative manner alone the filament. As an evidence of the occurrence of the communication, ATP-activated fluctuating displacemen ts of the filament in the direction perpendicular to its longitudinal axis were identified to propagate at a finite velocity not less than a bout 0.2 mu m/s unidirectionally along the filament.