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Do-it-yourself guide: how to use the modern single-molecule toolkit

Nature Methods volume 5, pages 475–489 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Single-molecule microscopy has evolved into the ultimate-sensitivity toolkit to study systems from small molecules to living cells, with the prospect of revolutionizing the modern biosciences. Here we survey the current state of the art in single-molecule tools including fluorescence spectroscopy, tethered particle microscopy, optical and magnetic tweezers, and atomic force microscopy. We also provide guidelines for choosing the right approach from the available single-molecule toolkit for applications as diverse as structural biology, enzymology, nanotechnology and systems biology.

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Figure 1: Simplified schematics of single-molecule fluorescence microscopes.
Figure 2
Figure 3: Simplified schematics of single-molecule force microscopes.
Figure 4: Ultrahigh-resolution imaging with 'software'-based solutions.
Figure 5

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by US National Institutes of Health grants GM062357, GM081025 and GM037006, and US National Science Foundation Chemical Bonding Center award 0533019.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Single Molecule Analysis Group, University of Michigan, 930 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, 48109, Michigan, USA

    Nils G Walter, Cheng-Yen Huang, Anthony J Manzo & Mohamed A Sobhy

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Correspondence to Nils G Walter.

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Walter, N., Huang, CY., Manzo, A. et al. Do-it-yourself guide: how to use the modern single-molecule toolkit. Nat Methods 5, 475–489 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.1215

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