ABSTRACT
The field of microfluidics has drastically contributed to downscale the size of benchtop experiments to the dimensions of a chip without compromising results. However, further miniaturization and the ability to directly manipulate individual molecules require a platform that permits organized molecular transport. The motor proteins and microtubules that carry out orderly intracellular transport are ideal for driving in vitro nanotransport. Here, we demonstrate that a reconstruction of the cellular kinesin/dynein-microtubule system in nanotracks provides a molecular total analysis system (MTAS) to control massively parallel chemical reactions. The mobility of kinesin and a microtubule dissociation method enable orientation of a microtubule in an array for directed transport of reactive molecules carried by kinesin or dynein. The binding of glutathione S-transferase (GST) to glutathione (GSH) and the binding of streptavidin to biotin are visualized as colocalizations of quantum dots (Q-dots) when motor motilities bring them into contact. The organized nanotransport demonstrated here suggests the feasibility of using our platform to perform parallel biochemical reactions focused at the molecular level.
