The development of single-molecule tools has significantly impacted the way we think about biochemical processes. Watching a single protein in action allows us to observe kinetic details and rare subpopulations that are hidden in ensemble-averaging techniques. I will discuss here the pros and cons of the single-molecule approach in studying ligand binding in macromolecular systems and how these techniques can be applied to characterize the behavior of large multicomponent biochemical systems.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Rissin, D.M., Gorris, H.H. & Walt, D.R. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 5349–5353 (2008).
Flomenbom, O. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102, 2368–2372 (2005).
English, B.P. et al. Nat. Chem. Biol. 2, 87–94 (2006).
van Oijen, A.M. et al. Science 301, 1235–1239 (2003).
Abbondanzieri, E.A., Greenleaf, W.J., Shaevitz, J.W., Landick, R. & Block, S.M. Nature 438, 460–465 (2005).
Dumont, S. et al. Nature 439, 105–108 (2006).
Myong, S., Rasnik, I., Joo, C., Lohman, T.M. & Ha, T. Nature 437, 1321–1325 (2005).
Yildiz, A. et al. Science 300, 2061–2065 (2003).
Yildiz, A., Tomishige, M., Vale, R.D. & Selvin, P.R. Science 303, 676–678 (2004).
Edman, L. & Rigler, R. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97, 8266–8271 (2000).
Lu, H.P., Xun, L. & Xie, X.S. Science 282, 1877–1882 (1998).
Yang, H. et al. Science 302, 262–266 (2003).
Cornish-Bowden, A. & Cardenas, M.L. J. Theor. Biol. 124, 1–23 (1987).
Qian, H. Biophys J. published online, doi:10.1529/biophysj.108.131771 (25 April 2008).
Cornish, P.V. & Ha, T. ACS Chem. Biol. 2, 53–61 (2007).
Rimsky, S. Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 7, 109–114 (2004).
Amit, R., Oppenheim, A.B. & Stavans, J. Biophys. J. 84, 2467–2473 (2003).
Tupper, A.E. et al. EMBO J. 13, 258–268 (1994).
Amit, R., Oppenheim, A.B. & Stavans, J. Biophys. J. 87, 1392–1393 (2004).
Dame, R.T. & Wuite, G.J. Biophys. J. 85, 4146–4148 (2003).
Tanner, N.A. et al. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 15, 170–176 (2008).
Lee, J.-B. et al. Nature 439, 621–624 (2006).
van Oijen, A.M. Biopolymers 85, 144–153 (2007).
Ha, T. Methods 25, 78–86 (2001).
Levene, M.J. et al. Science 299, 682–686 (2003).
Klar, T.A., Jakobs, S., Dyba, M., Egner, A. & Hell, S.W. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97, 8206–8210 (2000).
Benitez, J.J. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 2446–2447 (2008).
Cisse, I., Okumus, B., Joo, C. & Ha, T. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104, 12646–12650 (2007).
Acknowledgements
The author acknowledges funding from the US National Institutes of Health, the US National Science Foundation and the Searle Scholars Program. The author thanks J. Loparo for a critical reading of the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
van Oijen, A. Cutting the forest to see a single tree?. Nat Chem Biol 4, 440–443 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio0808-440
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio0808-440