title: Force Spectroscopy in Studying Infection.
abstract: Biophysical force spectroscopy tools-for example, optical tweezers, magnetic tweezers, atomic force microscopy-have been used to study elastic, mechanical, conformational and dynamic properties of single biological specimens from single proteins to whole cells to reveal information not accessible by ensemble average methods such as X-ray crystallography, mass spectroscopy, gel electrophoresis and so on. Here, we review the application of these tools on a range of infection-related questions from antibody-inhibited protein processivity to virus-cell adhesion. In each case, we focus on how the instrumental design tailored to the biological system in question translates into the functionality suitable for that particular study. The unique insights that force spectroscopy has gained to complement knowledge learned through population averaging techniques in interrogating biomolecular details prove to be instrumental in therapeutic innovations such as those in structure-based drug design.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Physics and Biology, Biological Physical Sciences Institute, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK. zz840@york.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Zhaokun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Departments of Physics and Biology, Biological Physical Sciences Institute, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Mark C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Leake
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004261:DNA Replication; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008280:Magnetics; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D052898:Optical Tweezers; D011485:Protein Binding; D053585:Virus Attachment; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D014780:Viruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004279:DNA, Viral
keywords: Atomic force microscopy; Magnetic tweezers; Optical tweezers