Molecular Machinery
The atlas / 12 machines

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Rotary motors, 2 machines

ATP synthase, rendered from PDB coordinates
ATP synthase
A proton-driven rotary motor that makes most of the cell's ATP
~100 turns/sturn rate in mitochondria
Bacterial flagellar motor, rendered from PDB coordinates
Bacterial flagellar motor
An ion-driven, reversible rotary motor that turns the bacterial flagellum
1,260 pN·nmstall torque, e. coli (fully induced)

Walkers and crawlers, 3 machines

Kinesin, rendered from PDB coordinates
Kinesin
Walks toward the microtubule plus end in 8 nm steps, one ATP per step
8 nmstep size
Myosin, rendered from PDB coordinates
Myosin
Swings a lever arm on actin to pull filaments and haul cargo
about 11 nmstroke per head, muscle myosin
Dynein, rendered from PDB coordinates
Dynein
A ring of six ATPases that walks to the microtubule minus end
8 nmmost frequent step

Readers and writers, 2 machines

Ribosome, rendered from PDB coordinates
Ribosome
Reads mRNA and builds the matching protein chain
12-17 amino acids per secondelongation rate in e. coli
RNA polymerase II, rendered from PDB coordinates
RNA polymerase II
Copies a DNA gene into messenger RNA, one base at a time
12subunits

Folding, 1 machine

GroEL–GroES, rendered from PDB coordinates
GroEL–GroES
An ATP-driven cage that holds one protein while it folds
14 GroEL + 7 GroESsubunits

Recycling, 1 machine

Proteasome, rendered from PDB coordinates
Proteasome
An ATP-driven shredder that pulls tagged proteins apart
2.5 MDamass of the holoenzyme

Pumps, 1 machine

SERCA calcium pump, rendered from PDB coordinates
SERCA calcium pump
Burns one ATP to push two calcium ions out of the cytoplasm
2calcium ions per atp

Switches, 1 machine

Hemoglobin, rendered from PDB coordinates
Hemoglobin
Four-part oxygen carrier that loads and unloads as a single switch
4chains in the working unit

Defence and editing, 1 machine

Cas9, rendered from PDB coordinates
Cas9
RNA-guided nuclease that finds one DNA sequence and cuts both strands
1368residues