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MEMS and Nanotechnology, Volume 6 pp 19–23Cite as

Principles Involved in Interpreting Single-Molecule Force Measurement of Biomolecules

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Abstract

Single-molecule manipulation techniques provide a unique tool for a close-up investigation of the complex biological properties and interactions. During the force measurement, a single molecule is pulled while its force response is monitored. However, quantifying these non-equilibrium data and using them to understand the structure-function relationship of biological systems have been challenging. We describe the mechanics of nanoscale biomolecules and the use of these force measurements for the free energy reconstruction using the recently derived non-equilibrium work theorem, i.e., Jarzynski’s equality. We also compare the results with those from other phenomenological approaches. Finally, mechanical characterization of systems such as overstretching transitions of DNA are presented, and the implications and challenges of these single-molecule force studies are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We thank NSF DMR-0907676 and Welch Foundation No. C-1632 for support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University Houston, Houston, TX, 77005, USA

    Sithara S. Wijeratne, Nolan C. Harris & Ching-Hwa Kiang

Authors
  1. Sithara S. Wijeratne
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  2. Nolan C. Harris
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  3. Ching-Hwa Kiang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ching-Hwa Kiang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. NIST, Gaithersburg, 20899, USA

    Gordon A. Shaw

  2. Auburn University, Alabama, Auburn, 36849-5341, USA

    Barton C. Prorok

  3. Wright Patterson Air Force Base, 45433, USA

    LaVern A. Starman

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© 2013 The Society for Experimental Mechanics

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Wijeratne, S.S., Harris, N.C., Kiang, CH. (2013). Principles Involved in Interpreting Single-Molecule Force Measurement of Biomolecules. In: Shaw, G., Prorok, B., Starman, L. (eds) MEMS and Nanotechnology, Volume 6. Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4436-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4436-7_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-4435-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-4436-7

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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