Experimental and Computational Characterization of Biological Liquid Crystals: A Review of Single-Molecule Bioassays

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Kilho Eom⁴  Jaemoon Yang³  Jinsung Park⁴  Gwonchan Yoon⁴  Young Soo Sohn¹  Shinsuk Park⁴  Dae Sung Yoon²  Sungsoo Na⁴ 

[1] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Catholic University of Daegu, Kyeongbuk 712-702, Korea; E-Mail:;Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yonsei University, Kangwon-do 220-740, Korea; E-Mail:;Department of Radiology, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-752, Korea; E-Mail:;Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea; E-Mails:

关键词: single-molecule experiments;    atomic force microscope (AFM);    coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation;    coarse-grained model;    in vitro molecular recognitions;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms10094009

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Quantitative understanding of the mechanical behavior of biological liquid crystals such as proteins is essential for gaining insight into their biological functions, since some proteins perform notable mechanical functions. Recently, single-molecule experiments have allowed not only the quantitative characterization of the mechanical behavior of proteins such as protein unfolding mechanics, but also the exploration of the free energy landscape for protein folding. In this work, we have reviewed the current state-of-art in single-molecule bioassays that enable quantitative studies on protein unfolding mechanics and/or various molecular interactions. Specifically, single-molecule pulling experiments based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been overviewed. In addition, the computational simulations on single-molecule pulling experiments have been reviewed. We have also reviewed the AFM cantilever-based bioassay that provides insight into various molecular interactions. Our review highlights the AFM-based single-molecule bioassay for quantitative characterization of biological liquid crystals such as proteins.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2009 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.