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S. A. Pikin

Author affiliations
Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography of the RAS,
Leninskij pr. 59, 119333 Moscow, Russia. 
E-mail: pikin@ns.crys.ras.ru

Abstract
It is shown that the necessary functioning conditions of rotary molecular motors, to which the synthesis enzymes F₀F₁-ATP, restriction-modification enzymes RM I and helicases can belong, are chirality, the presence of the С2 symmetry axis within rather large atomic groups, and polarization properties. These enzymes have common physical properties and can be characterized by the dynamic behaviour of director, similar to that occurring in chiral polar smectic C^* liquid crystals. To describe the molecular motors, the systems of kinetic equations with containing necessary dynamic variables are proposed. Many of the observed effects have the direct analogues with the phenomena in liquid crystals physics. The examples of such phenomena are presented. The estimations of material parameters of enzymes, that carry out ion transport through the cellular membrane and the DNA translocation, due to moving chiral kinks, are carried out.

Keywords: iquid crystals, enzymes, ion transport, DNA translocation, chirality, polarization properties