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Back in 2007, Japanese researchers were able to observe under a microscope the work of one of the “molecular motors” of a living cell - the walking protein myosin V, which can actively move along actin fibers and drag cargo attached to it. Each step of myosin V begins with one of its “legs” (the back) detaching from the actin filament. The second leg then leans forward, and the first one rotates freely on the “hinge” connecting the legs of the molecule until it accidentally touches the actin filament. The final result of the chaotic movement of the first leg turns out to be strictly determined due to the fixed position of the second. The basis of any active movements performed by living organisms is the work of “molecular motors” - protein complexes, the parts of which are capable of moving relative to each other. In higher organisms, the most important molecular motors are myosin molecules of various types (I, II, III, etc., up to XVII), capable of actively moving along actin fibers. Many “molecular motors“, including myosin V, use the principle of walking movement. They move in discrete steps of approximately the same length, with first one or the other of the two “legs” of the molecule in front. However, many details of this process remain unclear.
