ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses use of DNA-based scaffolds for investigating the emergent biophysics of ensembles of cytoplasmic dynein both alone and in complex with opposing kinesin motors. It deals with a discussion of the utility and practices of DNA nanotechnology for investigating the biophysics of dynein ensembles and explores studies employing the methods to observe the motility of yeast and human dynein ensembles. The chapter describes experiments that explore dynein-kinesin interactions. To ultimately understand the cell biology of dynein, biophysical properties of individual dynein motors and dynein ensembles must both be well-characterized. The inherent biochemistry and structure of cytoplasmic dynein has made unraveling the mechanism of this motor a difficult problem to solve; this further complicates the quest to understand ensembles of dynein. Creating ensembles of dynein on a DNA origami chassis requires motors that have been functionalized to bind the chassis structure. A variety of studies have investigated the collective behavior of ensembles of both yeast and mammalian dynein.
