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Complex molecular dynamics in the spotlight

Nature Biotechnology volume 28, pages 564–565 (2010)Cite this article

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Zero-mode waveguides illuminate the process of translation.

The ability to measure events at the single-molecule level promises to reveal the workings of biological machines in unprecedented detail1. Among the various technologies that can achieve single-molecule resolution, the zero-mode waveguide (ZMW) is emerging as a powerful method with unique capabilities. Recently, a team at Pacific Biosciences (Menlo Park, CA, USA) reported the use of ZMWs for single-molecule DNA sequencing2; now, researchers from this company in collaboration with academic scientists3 have applied these nanometer-sized chambers to monitor the transit of individual fluorescently labeled transfer RNAs (tRNAs) through the ribosome4. The new study highlights the potential of this technology to elucidate a range of biological processes beyond DNA replication.

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Figure 1: Zero-mode waveguide (ZMW) technology reveals insights into the actions of single molecules and nanomachines.

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Affiliations

  1. Lois Pollack and Watt W. Webb are in the School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.

    Lois Pollack & Watt W Webb

Authors
  1. Lois Pollack
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  2. Watt W Webb
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Correspondence to Watt W Webb.

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Competing interests

W.W.W. is on the scientific advisory board of and holds stock in Pacific Biosciences, which is developing a DNA-sequencing machine. He is also a co-inventor of the patented technology on which the machine is based, including the sequencing methodology and the zero-mode waveguide methodology.

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Pollack, L., Webb, W. Complex molecular dynamics in the spotlight. Nat Biotechnol 28, 564–565 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0610-564

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