Chemla Yann R
Department of Physics, Center for the Physics of Living Cells, Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Biopolymers. 2016 Oct;105(10):704-14. doi: 10.1002/bip.22880.
Optical tweezers have become a powerful tool to investigate nucleic-acid processing proteins at the single-molecule level. Recent advances in this technique have now enabled measurements resolving the smallest units of molecular motion, on the scale of a single base pair of DNA. In parallel, new instrumentation combining optical traps with other functionalities have been developed, incorporating mechanical manipulation along orthogonal directions or fluorescence imaging capabilities. Here, we review these technical advances, their capabilities, and limitations, focusing on benchmark studies of protein-nucleic acid interactions they have enabled. We highlight recent work that combines several of these advances together and its application to nucleic-acid processing enzymes. Finally, we discuss future prospects for these exciting developments. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 105: 704-714, 2016.
光镊已成为在单分子水平上研究核酸加工蛋白的有力工具。该技术的最新进展现已能够在DNA单碱基对尺度上解析分子运动的最小单位进行测量。与此同时，已开发出将光阱与其他功能相结合的新型仪器，包括沿正交方向的机械操纵或荧光成像功能。在这里，我们回顾这些技术进展、它们的能力和局限性，重点关注它们所实现的蛋白质 - 核酸相互作用的基准研究。我们强调了最近将这些进展中的几项结合在一起的工作及其在核酸加工酶中的应用。最后，我们讨论了这些令人兴奋的发展的未来前景。© 2016威利期刊公司。生物聚合物105: 704 - 714, 2016。
