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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Principles of single-molecule manipulation and its application in biological physics

WEI-HUNG CHEN, JONATHAN D. WILSON, SITHARA S. WIJERATNE, SARAH A. SOUTHMAYD, KUAN-JIUH LIN, CHING-HWA KIANG

Recent advances in nanoscale manipulation and piconewton force detection provide a unique tool for studying the mechanical and thermodynamic properties of biological molecules and complexes at the single-molecule level. Detailed equilibrium and dynamics information on proteins and DNA have been revealed by single-molecule manipulation and force detection techniques. The atomic force microscope (AFM) and optical tweezers have been widely used to quantify the intra- and inter-molecular interactions of many complex biomolecular systems. In this article, we describe the background, analysis, and applications of these novel techniques. Experimental procedures that can serve as a guide for setting up a single-molecule manipulation system using the AFM are also presented.

DOI

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