-Review-

Quantum Chemical Studies of the Myosin ATPase Mechanism

Hiroshi Kagawa

Department of Physics, Nippon Medical School

Muscle contraction is one of the molecular motions in the living body. The elemental process of muscle contraction is a mutual sliding of two kinds of filaments of proteins, myosin and actin, using energy liberated by ATP hydrolysis. Myosin enzymatically hydrolyzes ATP and interacts with actin. This article reviews previous quantum chemical studies to help determine how the chemical energy of ATP hydrolysis is converted to mechanical energy during sliding.

J Nippon Med Sch 2007; 74: 4-10

Keywords
myosin, ATP hydrolysis, quantum chemistry, molecular orbital, molecular dynamics

Correspondence to
Hiroshi Kagawa, Department of Physics, Nippon Medical School, 2-297-2 Kosugi-cho, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 211-0063, Japan
kagawa@nms.ac.jp

Received, December 13, 2006
Accepted, December 29, 2006