Plasmon Rulers as a Probe for Real-Time Microsecond Conformational Dynamics of Single Molecules.

ABSTRACT: Biopolymers such as DNA, RNA, and proteins exploit conformational changes to modulate their function. Although state-of-the-art single-molecule approaches enable identification of conformational states, the transition path and metastable intermediates often remain elusive because they occur on microsecond time scales. Here we introduce a method to probe conformational dynamics with microsecond integration times based on a heterodimer of plasmonic particles. By combining Brownian dynamics and electromagnetic simulations, we find that integration times of 1 μs can be routinely achieved, providing the capability to identify short-lived intermediates and transition paths at the single-molecule level in real-time. Importantly, plasmon rulers require no specialized equipment but can be probed on

SUBMITTER: Visser EWA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6328297 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature