title: Microscopes for fluorimeters: the era of single molecule measurements.
abstract: As transforming as the first atomic resolution view of myoglobin in the late 1950s, scientists can now use a suite of single molecule technologies to watch protein macromolecular machines executing their functions "in real time." This Essay highlights applications and challenges of single molecule studies in structural biology, cell biology, and biotechnology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. vale@cmp.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Ronald D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Vale
mesh_terms: D001671:Biochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D001709:Biotechnology; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D005470:Fluorometry; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008958:Models, Molecular; D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D012107:Research Design; D013053:Spectrophotometry
chemical_list: D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins; D011506:Proteins