ABSTRACT
All biomotors require input energy for performing their mechanical operations, and understanding the mechanisms of these processes is one of the most important fundamental scientific questions. While the structures of the three classes of biomotors can vary widely, it is believed that the conversion of energy into movement occurs via similar processes in all classes, although the details of underlying processes of many biomotors are still unclear. Biomotors exercise motion under conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium through their energy conversion with conformational changes despite their different geometries and distinct roles in cellular functions. The chemical energy required by most biomotors is derived from the binding or hydrolysis of ATP, which is the main energy source for most cellular functions. When the active sites on motor proteins bind ATP and catalyze its decomposition to ADP and inorganic phosphate, this creates an energy release that produces conformational changes in the motor protein, causing the motor to move. Upon the repetition of this process with another ATP molecule, the motor protein is able to continue to move. In this chapter, we briefly report the motor mechanisms from aspects of their energy conversion and inter-subunit communication.
