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Author Notes:

Khalid Salaita : k.salaita@emory.edu; Tel: 404-727-7522;

H.S., Z.L., B.D. and K.S. conceived and designed the experiments.

H.S. and Z.L designed and assembled the PFC laser illumination system.

H.S. and Z.L. performed the DNA unfolding experiments.

H.S., Y.L. and K.G performed the surface modification.

H.S. and V.M. performed the DNA modification.

A.B carried out the MATLAB analysis.

J.Z. carried out the COMSOL simulation.

The manuscript was prepared by H.S. and K.S. with input from all authors.

We thank Mr. Qiliang Liu and Mr. Qiongyi Shang for performing AFM imaging.

We thank Dr. T. Lian (Emory University, Atlanta, GA) for providing AFM access.

Subjects:

Research Funding:

The work was supported by grants from the NSF CAREER Award (1350829); the DARPA BTO (HR0011-16-2-0011) and the NIH (R01-GM097399).

A.T.B. is supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (1444932).

V.P.-Y.M. is supported by the National Cancer Institute Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99CA223074).

This project was supported in part by the Robert P. Apkarian Integrated Electron Microscopy Core.

Keywords:

  • Science & Technology
  • Physical Sciences
  • Technology
  • Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
  • Chemistry, Physical
  • Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
  • Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
  • Physics, Applied
  • Physics, Condensed Matter
  • Chemistry
  • Science & Technology - Other Topics
  • Materials Science
  • Physics
  • Core-shell particle
  • responsive materials
  • force spectroscopy
  • gold nanoparticles
  • DNA unfolding
  • MAGNETIC TWEEZERS
  • TENSION PROBES
  • SINGLE
  • SPECTROSCOPY
  • DNA
  • PROTEINS
  • DYNAMICS
  • KINETICS
  • NANOROD
  • TITIN

Light-Responsive Polymer Particles as Force Clamps for the Mechanical Unfolding of Target Molecules

Journal Title:

Nano Letters

Volume:

Volume 18, Number 4

Publisher:

, Pages 2630-2636

Type of Work:

Article | Post-print: After Peer Review

Abstract:

Single-molecule force spectroscopy techniques are powerful tools for investigating the mechanical unfolding of biomolecules. However, they are limited in throughput and require dedicated instrumentation. Here, we report a force-generating particle that can unfold target molecules on-demand. The particle consists of a plasmonic nanorod core encapsulated with a thermoresponsive polymer shell. Optical heating of the nanorod leads to rapid collapse of the polymer, thus transducing light into mechanical work to unfold target molecules. The illumination tunes the duration and degree of particle collapse, thus controlling the lifetime and magnitude of applied forces. Single-molecule fluorescence imaging showed reproducible mechanical unfolding of DNA hairpins. We also demonstrate the triggering of 50 different particles in <1 min, exceeding the speed of conventional atomic force microscopy. The polymer force clamp represents a facile and bottom-up approach to force manipulation.

Copyright information:

© 2018 American Chemical Society.

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