Collective behavior of Myosin II motor proteins

Many biological processes involve the action of molecular motors that interact with the cell cytoskeleton Some processes such as the transport of cargoes are achieved mainly by the action of individual motors Others such as cell motility and division require the cooperative work of many motors Collective motor dynamics can be quite complex and unexpected One beautiful example is the bidirectional back and forth motion of filaments which is induced when the motors within a group exert forces in opposite directions In the talk