Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, U.S.A.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, U.S.A.
Biochem Soc Trans. 2023 Apr 26;51(2):557-569. doi: 10.1042/BST20221242.
How molecules interact governs how they move. Single-molecule tracking (SMT) thus provides a unique window into the dynamic interactions of biomolecules within live cells. Using transcription regulation as a case study, we describe how SMT works, what it can tell us about molecular biology, and how it has changed our perspective on the inner workings of the nucleus. We also describe what SMT cannot yet tell us and how new technical advances seek to overcome its limitations. This ongoing progress will be imperative to address outstanding questions about how dynamic molecular machines function in live cells.
分子间的相互作用决定了它们的运动方式。因此，单分子追踪（SMT）为我们提供了一个独特的窗口，可深入了解活细胞内生物分子的动态相互作用。我们以转录调控为例，描述了 SMT 的工作原理、它能告诉我们哪些关于分子生物学的知识，以及它如何改变了我们对细胞核内部运作的看法。我们还描述了 SMT 目前无法告诉我们的信息，以及新技术的进步如何试图克服其局限性。为了解决关于动态分子机器在活细胞中如何发挥功能的悬而未决的问题，这种持续的进展是至关重要的。
