单分子检测进展

单分子检测做为针对有限可数的化学微观个体性质和行为的测量分析方法,能够提供用传统的宏观测量方法得不到的分子微环境中微观个体信息,受到广泛关注。本文综述了近年来单分子检测领域的进展和单分子检测的基本技术,重点介绍了用电化学方法进行单分子检测的发展状况,并展望了单分子检测的发展前景。     

Base pair distance analysis in single DNA molecule by direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy

Precise fluorescence imaging of single λ-DNA molecules for base pair distance analysis requires a superresolution technique, as these distances are on the order of diffraction limit. Individual λ-DNA molecules intercalated with the fluorescent dye YOYO-1 were investigated at subdiffraction spatial resolution by direct stochastic optical reconstructionmicroscopy (dSTORM). Various dye-to-DNA base pair ratios were imaged by photoswitching YOYO-1 between the fluorescent state and the dark state using two laser sources. The acquired images were reconstructed into a super-resolution image by applying Gaussian fitting to the centroid of the point spread function. By measuring the distances between localized fluorophores, the base pair distances in single DNA molecules for dye-to-DNA base pair ratios of 1:50, 1:100, and 1:500 were calculated to be 17.1±0.8 nm, 34.3±2.2 nm, and 170.3±8.1 nm, respectively, which were in agreement with theoretical values. These results demonstrate that intercalating dye in a single DNA molecule can be photoswitched without the use of an activator fluorophore, and that super-localization precision at a spatial resolution of ~17 nm was experimentally achieved.     

光学单分子方法探测蛋白质的功能

过去20年中, 光学单分子探测的方法已经发展成为许多领域、特别是生物学领域研究的强有力工具. 单分子探测不仅能够给出物理量的平均值, 还可以给出有关分布的信息, 也能对一个分子的轨迹进行追踪. 这些独特的性质使单分子探测不仅仅在平衡体系, 如蛋白折叠、酶反应动力学、膜表面动力学等研究中发挥作用, 而且对非平衡体系的探测更具有其它方法无法比拟的优势, 同时单分子探测在生物活体中追踪分子时也有关键作用.     

荧光相关光谱及其在单分子检测中的应用进展

单分子检测在生命科学、化学、物理学等领域具有重要的意义。荧光相关光谱是单分子检测的新技术,在生命科学领域有巨大的应用潜力。综述了荧光相关光谱单分子检测的原理、实验技术以及在生物分子相互作用、活细胞、核酸、疾病诊断、高通量筛选以及与毛细管电泳联用等领域的研究,并展望了其发展前景。     

纳米孔道单分子电化学测量的低噪音控温系统研究

纳米孔道检测技术是一种利用单个分子测量界面实现在单分子水平上测量DNA、RNA、蛋白、多肽等生物分子的高灵敏的单分子检测技术. 由于单个分子与纳米孔道的相互作用受热力学控制,亟需精准控制纳米孔道单分子分析的实验温度. 因此,本文研制了一种低噪音控温系统用于具有皮安级电流分辨的纳米孔道单分子实验,以实现精确调控测量时的环境温度. 该系统利用半导体制冷片的热电效应对检测池环境加热/制冷,通过对高精度热敏电阻进行电磁屏蔽以实现在温度反馈的同时避免噪音的引入. 利用比例-积分-微分算法进行控制,达到高精度快速控温的要求. 该系统控温精度为±1 °C,无额外噪音引入至超灵敏纳米孔道单分子测量,获得了25 °C到5 °C下Poly(dA)5与单个气单胞菌溶素（Aerolysin）分子界面间作用产生信号的差异,应用于研究单分子与纳米孔道相互作用的热力学行为.     

Single-molecule fluorescence detection in microfluidic channels—the Holy Grail in μTAS?

Both single-molecule detection (SMD) methods and miniaturization technologies have developed very rapidly over the last ten years. By merging these two techniques, it may be possible to achieve the optimal requirements for the analysis and manipulation of samples on a single molecule scale. While miniaturized structures and channels provide the interface required to handle small particles and molecules, SMD permits the discovery, localization, counting and identification of compounds. Widespread applications, across various bioscience/analytical science fields, such as DNA-analysis, cytometry and drug screening, are envisaged. In this review, the unique benefits of single fluorescent molecule detection in microfluidic channels are presented. Recent and possible future applications are discussed.Dedicated to the memory of Wilhelm Fresenius     

基于氧化还原循环信号放大技术的单分子电化学研究进展

现代分析科学的整体发展对分析方法的灵敏度、选择性以及快速响应等有了更高的要求。在单分子水平上实现对目标分子的检测及控制是化学家们长期以来梦寐以求的一项富有挑战性的前沿领域,也是近年来分析科学很重要的前沿发展方向。用电化学方法直接检测单分子面临的一项挑战是单个分子在氧化还原过程中得失电子产生的电流变化太小,现代仪器无法对如此小的电流进行识别。使电极表面氧化还原过程中的电子交换实现多次循环可以放大产生的电流,从而实现单分子水平的直接电化学分析。本文对近期通过循环电子交换过程放大电流信号的技术和装置进行了综述,将各类方法进行对比,并对单分子电化学未来的发展方向进行了展望。     

Detection of Single Molecule on Water Surface by Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy

In the past decade,several research groups have succeeded in observing single molecule in liquid, and more recently at silica surface in the near-field mode as well as at polymer-air interface in far-field mode. Due to the significance of air-water interface in surface chemistry, we prospect that research works on single molecule detection (SMD) of the air-water surface could open a new era in surface photochemistry and photophysics.     

单分子荧光成像研究凝血酶核酸适体的折叠

通过对固定在表面的TMR标记凝血酶核酸适体进行单分子荧光成像, 在单分子水平上研究了凝血酶核酸适体的折叠. 在有K+存在的条件下, 核酸适体分子与K+结合后发生折叠, 形成G四分体结构, 使得TMR靠近富含鸟嘌呤的G四分体, 并与鸟嘌呤发生电子转移, 从而导致TMR荧光强度降低. 根据TMR的单分子荧光强度观察到不同K+浓度下核酸适体在折叠和无规卷曲两种状态下的分布. 结果表明, 可利用电子转移引起的荧光强度变化在单分子水平上研究核酸适体构象变化, 这一新方法的建立是对常用的单分子荧光共振能量转移(FRET)法的重要补充.     

单分子水平的酶催化与基因表达研究

近半个多世纪以来生命科学取得了非凡的进展, 从DNA双螺旋结构的提出, 到第一个酶晶体结构的被解析, 都得益于像X射线衍射、核磁共振、质谱这样的物理化学工具的发展. 如今, 在深入细致地定量研究生物活体系统中我们正面临新的挑战, 例如:了解酶及其他大分子复合物在体内是如何实时工作的, 它们在分子数很少时是怎样工作的, 在活细胞中大分子复合物是如何协调工作的, 以及不同的基因在活细胞中分子数很少的情况下是如何实现表达和不表达的等等. 近十多年来, 单分子成像, 超高分辨率显微镜和单分子操纵技术在世界范围内被广泛地运用于生物医学研究, 对生物化学和分子生物学的发展产生着深远的影响, 因为运用这些单分子、超高分辨技术, 使很多如上述的令人感兴趣的生物学问题实现了单分子层面上的研究和理解. 本文拟就近年来相关的物理化学方法特别是单分子方法和技术在生物医学中的应用做一个简要介绍.     

Protein Detection Through Single Molecule Nanopore

A single nanopore represents a versatile single-molecule probe that can be employed to reveal several important features of proteins, such as physical structure, backbone flexibility, mechanical stability, their folding state, binding affinity to other interacting ligands and enzymatic activity. In this review, we summarize the development and current research related to the field of protein detection by nanopore, as well as a few examples of the pioneer work on protein detection. We first discuss the principle of electrical detection with nanopores and how this technique provides information from current traces. Then the development from peptide detection with biological nanopore to protein detection through solid-state nanopore is described. Finally, we prospect the measurement of protein shape and construction using nanopore technology for the applications in life research area.     

单分子电导测量技术及其影响因素

Molecular electronics is an important field for the application of nanotechnologies with an ultimate goal of building functional devices using single molecules or molecular arrays to realize the same functionality as macroscopic devices. To attain this goal, reliable techniques for measuring and manipulating electron transfer processes through single molecules are essential. There are various techniques and many environmental factors influencing single-molecule electronic conductance measurements. In this review, we first provide a detailed introduction and classification of the current well-accepted techniques in this field for measuring single-molecule conductance. All available techniques are summarized into two categories: the fixed junction technique and break junction technique. The break junction technique involves repeatedly forming and breaking molecular junctions by mechanically controlling a pair of electrodes moving into and out of contact in the presence of target molecules. Single-molecule conductance can be determined from the conductance plateaus that appear in typical conductance decay traces when molecules bind two electrodes during their separation process. In contrast, the fixed junction technique is to fix the distance between a pair of electrodes and measure the conductance fluctuations when a single molecule binds the two electrodes stochastically. Both techniques comprise different application methods and have been employed preferentially by different groups. Specific features of both techniques and their intrinsic advantages are compared and summarized in Section 4.     

单分子毛细管电泳

对室温下液流中的单分子光学检测技术的基本原理、主要方法以及它在生物学中的应用做了综述。重点强调了毛细管电泳与单分子检测相结合-单分子毛细管电泳在分析科学中战略上的重要性，并展望了单分子光学检测技术为特征的单分子毛细管电泳在分析化学中的应用前景。     

Single Molecule Characterization of Amyloid Oligomers

The misfolding and aggregation of polypeptide chains into β-sheet-rich amyloid fibrils is associated with a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases. Growing evidence indicates that the oligomeric intermediates populated in the early stages of amyloid formation rather than the mature fibrils are responsible for the cytotoxicity and pathology and are potentially therapeutic targets. However, due to the low-populated, transient, and heterogeneous nature of amyloid oligomers, they are hard to characterize by conventional bulk methods. The development of single molecule approaches provides a powerful toolkit for investigating these oligomeric intermediates as well as the complex process of amyloid aggregation at molecular resolution. In this review, we present an overview of recent progress in characterizing the oligomerization of amyloid proteins by single molecule fluorescence techniques, including single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET), fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), single-molecule photobleaching and super-resolution optical imaging. We discuss how these techniques have been applied to investigate the different aspects of amyloid oligomers and facilitate understanding of the mechanism of amyloid aggregation.     

基于原子力显微镜的单分子力谱在生物研究中的应用

原子力显微镜被广泛应用于生物研究领域,基于原子力显微镜的单分子力谱可以在单分子、单细胞水平上研究生物分子内和分子间的相互作用。 本文介绍了原子力显微镜单分子力谱在生物分子间相互作用、蛋白质去折叠、细胞表面生物分子、细胞力学性质和基于单分子力谱成像等研究中的最新进展。     

High-throughput single molecule screening of DNA and proteins

We report a novel imaging technology for real time comprehensive analysis of molecular alterations in cells and tissues appropriate for automation and adaptation to high-throughput applications. With these techniques it should eventually be possible to perform simultaneous analysis of the entire contents of individual biological cells with a sensitivity and selectivity sufficient to determine the presence or absence of a single copy of a targeted analyte (e.g., DNA region, RNA region, protein), and to do so at a relatively low cost. The technology is suitable for DNA and RNA through sizing or through fluorescent hybridization probes, and for proteins and small molecules through fluorescence immunoassays. This combination of the lowest possible detection limit and the broadest applicability to biomolecules represents the final frontier in bioanalysis. The general scheme is based on novel concepts for single molecule detection (SMD) and characterization recently demonstrated in our laboratory. Since minimal manipulation is involved, it should be possible to screen large numbers of cells in a short time to facilitate practical applications. This opens up the possibility of finding single copies of DNA or proteins within single biological cells for disease markers without performing polymerase chain reaction or other biological amplification.     

Detection of single-molecule DNA hybridization by using dual-color total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy

We examined the use of prism-type simultaneous dual-color total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) to probe DNA molecules at the single-molecule level. The system allowed the direct detection of the complementary interactions between single-stranded probe DNA molecules (16-mer) and various lengths of single-stranded target DNA molecules (16-mer and 55-mer) that had been labeled with different fluorescent dyes (Cy3, Cy5, and fluorescein). The polymer-modified glass substrate and the extent of DNA probe immobilization were easily characterized either with standard TIRFM or with atomic force microscopy. However, only dual-color TIRFM could provide unambiguous images of individual single-stranded target DNA molecules hybridized with the correct sequence in the range of fM–aM. Succinic anhydride showed low RMS roughness and was found to be an optimal blocking reagent against non-specific adsorption, with an efficiency of 92%. This study provides a benchmark for directly monitoring the interactions and the detection of co-localization of two different DNA molecules and can be applied to the development of a nanoarray biochip at the single-molecule level.     

单分子流式检测仪的研制

采用激光诱导荧光和流体动力学聚焦技术成功地研制出单分子流式检测仪, 实现了对水溶液中单个藻红蛋白及单个DNA分子片段的检测, 检测速率可达到每秒几十次. 与单分子荧光显微术相比, 流式分析将固定的标本台改为流动的单分子悬液, 大大提高了检测速率和统计精确性, 更加适合生物样品的快速、超高灵敏分析.     

Combination of Micro-fluidic Chip with Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy for Single Molecule Detection

A single molecule detection technique was developed by the combination of a single channel poly (dimethylsiloxane)/glass micro-fluidic chip and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). This method was successfully used to determine the proportion of two model components in the mixture containing fluorescein and the rhodamine-green succinimidyl ester.     

Optical Spectroscopy of Single Impurity Molecules in Solids

Optical spectroscopy of a single impurity molecule provides the first truly local probe of host–guest interactions in doped solids. In conventional optical high-resolution experiments with many molecules only ensemble averages of the microscopic parameters can be obtained. In the single-molecule regime, the exquisite sensitivity of an individual dopant molecule to both the local environment and to external perturbations has been exploited in recent experiments to reveal a wealth of fascinating novel phenomena such as spectral diffusion in crystals and polymers, optical modification of a single impurity molecule (spectral hole-burning), local field measurements at the site of a single impurity molecule, and quantum optics in a solid.