Life's Ratchet: How Molecular Machines Extract Order from Chaos (51 page)

Microtubule filaments,
108
,
110

Microtubules,
90
,
160
,
169
,
170

Mitchell, Peter,
194–195

Mitochondrion,
169
,
170
,
192–200

ADP/ATP and,
159

Mitosis,
182
,
233

Mlodinow, Leonard,
54

MMP.
See under
Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)

Moivre, Abraham de,
54

Molecular biology,
63–66

Molecular circuits,
121–122

Molecular feedback loop,
153–154

Molecular layers, of liquids,
118–120

Molecular machines,
94
,
122–124

activation energy and,
146–150

cancer and,
3

cellular functions of,
169–170

chaos and,
7
,
138
,
145–146
,
158
,
168
,
212
,
226
,
230
,
238
,
242

coupling and,
159–168

efficiency of,
144

energy for,
158–159

enzymes and,
149–154

evolution of,
218–221
,
226–227

Feynman’s ratchet,
138–141

free energy and,
157–159

molecular storm and,
7
,
145–146

molecular tracks and,
154–155

motion of,
162–166

power density of,
144–145

regulation of,
231–233

reset step,
155–158

second law of thermodynamics and,
127–128

understanding life and,
242
,
243–244

See also
Maxwell’s demon

Molecular motors (motor proteins),
160–162
,
170–192

ATPase and,
171–172

dynein,
170
,
171

kinesin,
170
,
171
,
176–182

measurement of,
172–176

myosin,
170–171
,
176
,
182–192

Molecular scale, complexity of,
6–7

Molecular storm,
14
,
72

creation of snowflake and,
83

evolution and,
225–226

free energy and,
83–85

harnessing energy of,
138–141

life force and,
243

molecular machines and,
7
,
145–146

protein shape and,
114–115

reset step and,
157–158

role of random thermal noise of,
167–168

Molecular switching,
220
,
237

cooperativity and,
121–122

Molecular tracks,
154–155

reset step and,
156

tight and loose coupling and,
159–166

Molecules

evolution of,
216–217

purposeful action and,
5

self-assembly of,
100–115

statistical mechanics and,
68–69

Monads,
21

Monastrol,
233
,
234

Monod, Jacques,
144
,
151

allostery and,
153

lac-operon pathway,
235–236

role of chance in history of life,
6
,
57
,
58–60
,
224–225

Moore, Walther J.,
63

Morgan, Thomas Hunt,
61

Motility assays,
90

Motion

atomic,
71–73

Brownian,
56
,
71–72
,
105–106
,
129

hydrolysis of ATP and,
184–187

of kinesin-1,
176–181

loose coupling and,
162–167

molecular,
160–166

of myosin V,
176
,
182–187

purposeful,
5
,
12
,
13
,
14
,
15
,
16

random (
see
Random motion
)

thermal (
see
Thermal noise (thermal motion))

tight coupling and,
160–162

Motor domain,
232

of kinesin-1 and myosin V,
176–177

in kinesins,
181

Muller, Hermann Joseph,
62

Müller, Johannes Peter,
38

Muscle, structure of,
188

Muscle cells, myosin II and,
187–189

Mutations,
62–63
,
64

thermal motion and,
225–226

Myosin,
90
,
170–171
,
209

myosin I,
189
,
192

myosin II,
167
,
183
,
184
,
187–189

myosin V,
176
,
182–187
,
189
,
192

myosin VI,
192

myosin VII,
192

myosin IX,
192

classes of,
170

family tree,
190–191

G proteins and,
220

superfamily,
189–192
,
221

N terminus, kinesins and,
181

NAD
⁺
,
193

NADH,
193
,
194

Nanobot,
93

Nanophysics,
90–91

Nanoscale,
91–94

assembly at,
100–115

energy equality at,
122–124

scanning probe microscopes,
94–96

violation of second law of thermodynamics and,
134–136

Nanoscience,
92–93

cooperativity,
104–106
,
116–120

entropic forces,
106–110

hydrophobic forces,
110–112

molecular switching,
121–122

physical rules in,
97–99

quantum-mechanical effects,
99–100

thermal noise (thermal motion),
100
,
122
,
123–124

Nanostructures, creation of,
103

Nanotechnology,
5
,
92

Natarajan, Arun,
2

Of Natural and Supernatural Things
(Vesalius),
18

A Natural History of the Soul
(La Mettrie),
23

Natural selection,
41–44

Natural Theology
(Paley),
42
,
214

Nature, La Mettrie and,
25–26

Naturphilosophie,
32

Necessity, chance
vs.,
6–8
,
222
,
224–225
,
243
,
246

Negative feedback,
153

Neutrons,
84

Newton, Isaac,
21–22
,
36
,
37

Newton’s cannonball,
128

Noise, life and,
3

Noji, Hiroyuki,
196–197

Noller, Harry,
219

Normal distribution,
54–55

Nuclear fusion,
84