Single-Molecule Biomechanics with Optical Methods

Single-molecule observation and manipulation have come of age. With the advent of optical tweezers and other methods for probing and imaging single molecules, investigators have circumvented the model-dependent extrapolation from ensemble assays that has been the hallmark of classical biochemistry a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1999-03, Vol.283 (5408), p.1689-1695
Main Authors: Mehta, Amit D., Rief, Matthias, Spudich, James A., Smith, David A., Simmons, Robert M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actins
Analysis
Biochemistry
Biomechanical Phenomena
Biomechanics
Biophysics
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
DNA - chemistry
DNA - metabolism
DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases - chemistry
DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases - metabolism
Flagella - chemistry
Flagella - physiology
Inferences
Kinesin - chemistry
Kinesin - metabolism
Kinetics
Laboratory Equipment
Lasers
Microfilaments
Microtubules
Microtubules - metabolism
Molecular Motor Proteins - chemistry
Molecular Motor Proteins - metabolism
Molecular probes
Molecules
Motion
Muscle Proteins - chemistry
Muscle Proteins - metabolism
Nucleic Acid Conformation
Observation
Optics
Polymers
Protein Conformation
Protein Folding
Proton-Translocating ATPases - chemistry
Proton-Translocating ATPases - metabolism
Reviews
Scientific imaging
Stall
Transcription, Genetic
Tweezers
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Summary:Single-molecule observation and manipulation have come of age. With the advent of optical tweezers and other methods for probing and imaging single molecules, investigators have circumvented the model-dependent extrapolation from ensemble assays that has been the hallmark of classical biochemistry and biophysics. In recent years, there have been important advances in the understanding of how motor proteins work. The range of these technologies has also started to expand into areas such as DNA transcription and protein folding. Here, recent experiments with rotary motors, linear motors, RNA polymerase, and titin are described.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.283.5408.1689