Experimental and computational characterization of biological liquid crystals: a review of single-molecule bioassays.

ABSTRACT: Quantitative understanding of the mechanical behavior of biological liquid crystals such as proteins is essential for gaining insight into their biological functions, since some proteins perform notable mechanical functions. Recently, single-molecule experiments have allowed not only the quantitative characterization of the mechanical behavior of proteins such as protein unfolding mechanics, but also the exploration of the free energy landscape for protein folding. In this work, we have reviewed the current state-of-art in single-molecule bioassays that enable quantitative studies on protein unfolding mechanics and/or various molecular interactions. Specifically, single-molecule pulling experiments based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been overviewed. In addition, the computational

SUBMITTER: Eom K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2769145 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature