title: A nanomechanical interface to rapid single-molecule interactions.
abstract: Single-molecule techniques provide opportunities for molecularly precise imaging, manipulation, assembly and biophysical studies. Owing to the kinetics of bond rupture processes, rapid single-molecule measurements can reveal novel bond rupture mechanisms, probe single-molecule events with short lifetimes and enhance the interaction forces supplied by single molecules. Rapid measurements will also increase throughput necessary for technological use of single-molecule techniques. Here we report a nanomechanical sensor that allows single-molecule force spectroscopy on the previously unexplored microsecond timescale. We probed bond lifetimes around 5 μs and observed significant enhancements in molecular interaction forces. Our loading-rate-dependent measurements provide experimental evidence for an additional energy barrier in the biotin-streptavidin complex. We also demonstrate quantitative mapping of rapid single-molecule interactions with high spatial resolution. This nanomechanical interface may allow studies of molecular processes with short lifetimes and development of novel biological imaging, single-molecule manipulation and assembly technologies.
authors.affiliation: The Rowland Institute at Harvard, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142 USA.
authors.forename: Mingdong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Ozgur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sahin
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001710:Biotin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D019563:Mechanics; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D057054:Molecular Imaging; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods; D019809:Streptavidin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C066114:biotin-streptavidin complex; D001710:Biotin; D019809:Streptavidin