Regensburg 2004 – scientific programme

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AKB: Biologische Physik

AKB 22: Single Molecule Methods

AKB 22.4: Invited Talk

Tuesday, March 9, 2004, 15:30–16:00, H40

Detecting and Manipulating Single Molecules in the Fluid Phase — •Petra Schwille — TU Dresden, Institut f. Biophysik

Single molecule research has within the past ten years become a fascinating new approach in nearly all branches of physical sciences, but for the biosciences it bears particular relevance: The No-dqkey playersNo-dq on a molecular scale - proteins - are remarkably complex and variable molecules, their functionality in cells and organelles is so subtle that they are often referred to as No-dqmolecular machinesNo-dq. To study these elaborate molecular systems, traditional methods that analyze a certain function by averaging over large ensembles are sometimes not appropriate: Especially in the living cell, where a multitude of complex processes are continuously occurring on a molecular scale, ensemble methods are unable to capture the underlying mechanisms in a satisfactory manner. Techniques that allow to study the distribution, translocation, interactions and internal dynamics of single biological working units, in many cases single protein molecules or complexes, are therefore of particular importance to the biosciences. We discuss novel developments and applications of single molecule-based dynamic analysis of proteins and nucleic acids in the living cell, and give perspectives for possible strategies to manipulate, sort and select single molecules in the fluid phase.