Nanotechnology and protein mechanics.
The atomic force microscope is currently used in our and many other laboratories to measure the mechanical response of polypeptide and proteins against tensile forces applied to well defined positions in their chemical structures. The resulting force vs. extension (F-E) curves are analyzed in relation to their known conformations under various conditions. The method can be extended to study the mechanical responses of other, often much larger biological structures, and extract the component proteins and DNAs from cell membranes and chromosomes.
Laboratory of Biodynamics, Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta Midoriku, Yokohama, 226-8501 Japan.
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Ikai
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Idiris
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Wang
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MT
Alam
R
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Afrin
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K
Hyonchol
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Sekiguchi
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Nishida
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Arakawa
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Osada
atomic force microscope; bionanomanipulator; nanomechanics of proteins; nanotechnology; protein extraction