title: Splitting probabilities as a test of reaction coordinate choice in single-molecule experiments.
abstract: To explain the observed dynamics in equilibrium single-molecule measurements of biomolecules, the experimental observable is often chosen as a putative reaction coordinate along which kinetic behavior is presumed to be governed by diffusive dynamics. Here, we invoke the splitting probability as a test of the suitability of such a proposed reaction coordinate. Comparison of the observed splitting probability with that computed from the kinetic model provides a simple test to reject poor reaction coordinates. We demonstrate this test for a force spectroscopy measurement of a DNA hairpin.
authors.affiliation: California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. jchodera@berkeley.edu
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Chodera
authors.forename: Vijay S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Pande
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D004247:DNA