Studying protein (and RNA) folding and functional dynamics using single-molecule optical tweezers
Katarzyna (Kasia) Tych
University of Groningen, the Netherlands
Abstract
Understanding the dynamics of biological macromolecules such as proteins and RNA is essential, as these molecular machines orchestrate the vast array of processes vital for life. Optical tweezers have emerged as a highly valuable tool in unravelling the enigmas of both how these molecules fold as well as how they move during their functional cycles, due to their ability to precisely manipulate and measure individual biomolecules with high sensitivity and resolution.
In this talk, I will showcase how optical tweezers can be used, giving examples from my research group where we are interested in, amongst other things, molecular chaperones, transmembrane transporters and viral RNA. I will also discuss some of the technical details involved in performing such measurements, and give my view on the advantages and the limitations of this experimental method.
