Single polymer chains as specific transducers of molecular recognition in scanning probe microscopy

Rachel Gabai, Lior Segev, Ernesto Joselevich*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A new approach for the specific detection and mapping of single molecule recognition is presented, based on the nonlinear elastic behavior of a single polymer chain. The process of molecular recognition between a ligand and a receptor is inherently accompanied by a decrease in the translational and rotational degrees of freedom of the two molecules. We show that a polymeric tether linked to the ligand can effectively transduce the configurational constraint imposed by molecular recognition into a measurable force, which is dominated by the entropic elasticity of the polymer. This force is specifically characterized by a strong nonlinearity when the extension of the polymer approaches its contour length. Thus, a polymer chain tethering the ligand to an oscillating cantilevered tip gives rise to a highly anharmonic motion upon ligand-receptor binding. Higher-harmonics atomic force microscopy allows us to detect this phenomenon in real time as a specific signature for the probing and mapping of single-molecule recognition.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)11390-11398
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume127
Issue number32
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Aug 2005

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Catalysis
  • Colloid and Surface Chemistry

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