Quantitative Assessment of Tip Effects in Single‐Molecule High‐Speed Atomic Force Microscopy Using DNA Origami Substrates

High‐speed atomic force microscopy (HS‐AFM) is widely employed in the investigation of dynamic biomolecular processes at a single‐molecule level. However, it remains an open and somewhat controversial question, how these processes are affected by the rapidly scanned AFM tip. While tip effects are commonly believed to be of minor importance in strongly binding systems, weaker interactions may significantly be disturbed. Herein, we quantitatively assess the role of tip effects in a strongly binding system using a DNA origami‐based single‐molecule assay. Despite its femtomolar dissociation constant, we find that HS‐AFM imaging can disrupt monodentate binding of streptavidin (SAv) to biotin (Bt) even under gentle scanning conditions. To a lesser extent, this is also observed for the much stronger bidentate SAv–Bt complex. The presented DNA origami‐based assay can be universally employed to quantify tip effects in strongly and weakly binding systems and to optimize the experimental settings for their reliable HS‐AFM imaging.     

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。     

Intrinsically Disordered Tardigrade Proteins Self-Assemble into Fibrous Gels in Response to Environmental Stress

Tardigrades are remarkable for their ability to survive harsh stress conditions as diverse as extreme temperature and desiccation. The molecular mechanisms that confer this unusual resistance to physical stress remain unknown. Recently, tardigrade-unique intrinsically disordered proteins have been shown to play an essential role in tardigrade anhydrobiosis. Here, we characterize the conformational and physical behaviour of CAHS-8 from Hypsibius exemplaris. NMR spectroscopy reveals that the protein comprises an extended central helical domain flanked by disordered termini. Upon concentration, the protein is shown to successively form oligomers, long fibres, and finally gels constituted of fibres in a strongly temperature-dependent manner. The helical domain forms the core of the fibrillar structure, with the disordered termini remaining highly dynamic within the gel. Soluble proteins can be encapsulated within cavities in the gel, maintaining their functional form. The ability to reversibly form fibrous gels may be associated with the enhanced protective properties of these proteins.     

电化学原子力显微镜的应用

评述了电化学原子力显微镜的原理和技术及其在现场电化学和电分析化学领域的应用,如观察电镀、腐蚀和防腐的过程,电化学沉积膜的形成和特点,测定两表面间的静电力等,指出其存在的一些缺陷,并对经过改造后的电化学原子力显微镜进行了综述。     

原子力显微镜在高分子领域的应用

原子力显微镜在其发现不久即应用于高分子领域,弥补了扫描隧显微镜不能观测非导电样品的缺欠,因而受到重视,应用范围也不断扩展。最近几年,原子力显微镜的应用已由对聚合物表面几何形貌的观测发展到深入研究高分子的米级结构和表面性能等新领域,并由此导出了若干新概念和新方法。本文仅对当前原子力显微镜应用于高分子和高分子材料研究的几个重要方面举例进行介绍。     

失效原子力显微镜硅针尖再生

原子力显微镜的传统商品硅针尖在使用过程中极易因磨损而失效，本文研究了一种在实验室条件下简易可行的回收利用失效硅针尖的方法。在原子力显微镜的敲击模式下使用曲率半径大于100 nm的失效硅针尖对生长单壁碳纳米管的样品表面进行扫描，把样品表面的单壁碳纳米管管束粘接到硅针尖上，可制得直径在5～20 nm的碳纳米管针尖。实验对碳纳米管针尖和新的商品硅针尖进行了成像对比，所制备的碳纳米管针尖不仅在成像分辨率而且在成像稳定性上都优于新的商品硅针尖。     

Atomic Force Microscopy of Novel Zeolitic Materials Prepared by Top‐Down Synthesis and ADOR Mechanism

Top‐down synthesis of 2D materials from a parent 3D zeolite with subsequent post‐synthetic modification is an interesting method for synthesis of new materials. Assembly, disassembly, organisation, reassembly (ADOR) processes towards novel materials based on the zeolite UTL are now established. Herein, we present the first study of these materials by atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM was used to monitor the ADOR process through observation of the changes in crystal surface and step height of the products. UTL surfaces were generally complex and contained grain boundaries and low‐angle intergrowths, in addition to regular terraces. Hydrolysis of UTL to IPC‐1P did not have adverse effects on the surfaces as compared to UTL. The layers remained intact after intercalation and calcination forming novel materials IPC‐2 and IPC‐4. Measured step heights gave good correlation with the X‐ray diffraction determined d₂₀₀‐spacing in these materials. However, swelling gave rise to significant changes to the surface topography, with significantly less regular terrace shapes. The pillared material yielded the roughest surface with ill‐defined surface features. The results support a mechanism for the majority of these materials in which the UTL layers remain intact during the ADOR process as opposed to dissolving and recrystallising during each step.     

导电原子力显微镜对蛋白质在分子水平上的电学表征

蛋白质电子传递的研究不仅对阐述生物能量传递具有重要的意义,而且有助于促进生物分子在分子电子器件中的应用．金属蛋白以其固有的电化学和电学特性,在光合作用和呼吸作用中起到重要作用．其中铜蓝蛋白具有良好的电化学性质和明确的分子结构,常常用作研究蛋白质电子传递的模型分子。很多具有微观尺度表征能力的分析仪器可用于研究表面吸附的蛋白质分子。     

Direct Observation of the Reversible Two‐State Unfolding and Refolding of an α/β Protein by Single‐Molecule Atomic Force Microscopy

Directly observing protein folding in real time using atomic force microscopy (AFM) is challenging. Here the use of AFM to directly monitor the folding of an α/β protein, NuG2, by using low‐drift AFM cantilevers is demonstrated. At slow pulling speeds (<50 nm s^?1), the refolding of NuG2 can be clearly observed. Lowering the pulling speed reduces the difference between the unfolding and refolding forces, bringing the non‐equilibrium unfolding–refolding reactions towards equilibrium. At very low pulling speeds (ca. 2 nm s^?1), unfolding and refolding were observed to occur in near equilibrium. Based on the Crooks fluctuation theorem, we then measured the equilibrium free energy change between folded and unfolded states of NuG2. The improved long‐term stability of AFM achieved using gold‐free cantilevers allows folding–unfolding reactions of α/β proteins to be directly monitored near equilibrium, opening the avenue towards probing the folding reactions of other mechanically important α/β and all‐β elastomeric proteins.     

无序蛋白质在生物分子凝聚相形成与调控中的作用

生物分子凝聚形成生物体内的多种无膜细胞器,其独特的物理化学性质使其具有多样的生物学功能,包括感知外界环境的变化、调节蛋白在细胞内的浓度、调控信号转导途径以及选择性富集特定蛋白质和RNA等。同时,生物分子凝聚相的错误形成与调控会导致多种人类疾病,如神经退行性疾病、癌症和病毒性疾病等。无序蛋白质在生物分子凝聚相的形成和调控中发挥了重要作用。本文通过总结分析无序蛋白在生物分子凝聚相形成中的作用以及化学小分子对生物分子凝聚相的调控,探讨了通过靶向无序蛋白进行配体设计来获得调控生物分子凝聚相化学探针及药物的可能性,并展望了揭示无序蛋白及化学分子调控生物凝聚相机制应重点关注的问题。     

qPlus型非接触原子力显微技术进展及前沿应用

原子力显微镜(AFM)通过探测针尖与样品之间的相互作用力获得样品表面的结构信息。基于qPlus传感器的非接触原子力显微镜(NC-AFM)在传统AFM的基础上进一步提升了空间分辨率,为研究表面物理和化学过程提供了一种新的成像和谱学研究技术。本文首先介绍NC-AFM的基本构造、高分辨成像机制和力谱测量等工作原理,总结了近年来NC-AFM在表面在位化学反应、低维材料表征和表面电荷分布测量等方面的应用,探讨了NC-AFM技术的发展与完善,展望了NC-AFM面临的机遇和挑战。     

原子力显微镜技术对生物样品的研究

评述了近几年原子力显微镜在生物样品中的应用情况。主要涉及利用原子力显微镜研究核酸,包括脱氧核糖核酸和核糖核酸、蛋白质、核酸与蛋白质复合物、细胞和病毒等5个方面的最新进展。