Artwork: Dan Nowakowski/Nicholas Taylor
Mechano-adaptation in a large protein complex
Intersections Science Fellows Symposium
November 2021
Navish Wadhwa
Harvard University
slides for this talk: WadhwaLab.com/talks
A nanoscale motor powers
swimming in bacteria
How does the motor cope with sudden changes in mechanical load?
Electrorotation allows
full control over motor load
Instantaneous
Reversible
Controllable
Electrorotation allows
full control on motor load
A change in load results in
changes in motor speed
The motor adapts to changes
in load by remodeling its stator
Flagellar motor is a bacterial mechanosensor
Acknowledgements
Howard Berg (Harvard)
Yuhai Tu (IBM)
Rob Phillips (Caltech)
Alberto Sassi (IBM)
NIH Pathway to Independence Award
@NavishWadhwa