Accelerative sliding of myosin-coated glass-beads under suspended condition from actin paracrystal

The maximum sliding velocity of rabbit skeletal-muscle myosin is about 10 mu m/sec under zero load and physiological conditions. We have found, however, that a large glass-bead (diameter, 65 mu m) coated by rabbit skeletal myosin slides at 338 +/- 47 mu m/sec under a condition suspended from an actin paracrystal surface. Also the sliding velocity increases exponentially as the size of myosin-coated glass-beads increases. We report here that the sliding velocity of myosin can be controlled by the adhesion force and the external normal force acting between actin and myosin. (C) 1997 Academic Press.