Energetic effects of molecular motor–cargo linkage

A Brownian motor needs a motor–cargo link to carry a cargo. The property of the link can affect the energetic efficiency of the motor. Consequently, inferring motor mechanisms from single-molecule experiments in terms of, e.g., the so-called Stokes efficiency can sometimes be misleading. Also, it was found that in some cases there is an optimal link stiffness for motor energy efficiency.