MECHANICAL PROCESSES IN BIOCHEMISTRY

• Published in: Annual review of biochemistry Vol. 73; no. 1; pp. 705 - 748
• Main Authors: Bustamante, Carlos, Chemla, Yann R, Forde, Nancy R, Izhaky, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palo Alto, CA 94303-0139 Annual Reviews 01.01.2004; 4139 El Camino Way, P.O. Box 10139 Annual Reviews, Inc; USA
• Subjects: Animals; Biochemical Phenomena; Biochemistry; Biomechanical Phenomena; Catalysis; Cells; Chromosomes; enzyme catalysis; Enzymes - chemistry; Kinetics; Life cycles; mechanical forces; mechanical unfolding; Molecular Conformation; Molecular Motor Proteins - chemistry; molecular motors; Molecules; Nucleic acids; Proteins; single-molecule manipulation; Thermodynamics; Translocation
• ISSN: 0066-4154; 1545-4509
• DOI: 10.1146/annurev.biochem.72.121801.161542

Mechanical processes are involved in nearly every facet of the cell cycle. Mechanical forces are generated in the cell during processes as diverse as chromosomal segregation, replication, transcription, translation, translocation of proteins across membranes, cell locomotion, and catalyzed protein and nucleic acid folding and unfolding, among others. Because force is a product of all these reactions, biochemists are beginning to directly apply external forces to these processes to alter the extent or even the fate of these reactions hoping to reveal their underlying molecular mechanisms. This review provides the conceptual framework to understand the role of mechanical force in biochemistry.