Exploiting molecular motors as nanomachines: the mechanisms of de novo and re-engineered cytoskeletal motors

•Cytoskeletal molecular motors are profound bionanotechnological devices.•The mechanisms of these motors enable re-purposing and re-engineering.•They also provide inspiration for creating nanoscale motors de novo.

Cytoskeletal molecular motors provide exciting proof that nanoscale transporters can be highly efficient, moving for microns along filamentous tracks by hydrolyzing ATP to fuel nanometer-size steps. For nanotechnology, such conversion of chemical energy into productive work serves as an enticing platform for re-purposing and re-engineering. It also provides a roadmap for successful molecular mechanisms that can be mimicked to create de novo molecular motors for nanotechnology applications. Here we focus specifically on how the mechanisms of molecular motors are being re-engineered for greater control over their transport parameters. We then discuss mechanistic work to create fully synthetic motors de novo and conclude with future directions in creating novel motor systems.