BPCPPDYSOE21 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 11: Poster A: Single Molecule, Multicellular, Bioimaging, Focus Sessions, etc.
BP 11.14: Poster
Monday, March 22, 2021, 16:30–19:00, BPp
Nanomechanics of DNA self-assemblies and light driven molecular motors — Michael Penth1,2, Yijun Yijun1, Arzu Çolak1, Kordula Schellnhuber1,2, Mitchell K.L. Han1, Aránzazu del Campo1,3, Roland Bennewitz1,2, and •Johanna Blass1 — 1INM - Leibniz for New Materials, Campus D22, 66123 Saarbrücken — 2Saarland University, Physics Department, 66123 Saarbrücken — 3Saarland University, Chemistry Department, 66123 Saarbrücken
Single-molecule force spectroscopy has become an essential tool to unravel the structural and nanomechanical properties of biomolecules. In this study, we present Flow Force Microscopy (FlowFM) as a massively parallel approach to study the nanomechanics of hundreds of molecules in parallel. The high-throughput experiments performed in a simple microfluidic channel enable statistically meaningful studies with nanometer scale precision in a time frame of several minutes. A surprisingly high flexibility was observed for a self-assembled DNA construct typically used in DNA origami. The persistence length was determined to be 12.6 nm, a factor of four smaller than for native DNA. The enhanced flexibility is attributed to the discontinuous backbone of DNA self-assemblies. We also quantified the forces actuated by a unique molecular machine that can apply forces at cell-matrix and cell-cell junctions using light as an energy source. Micrometer-sized beads tethered to the surface via entangled rotary motors were retracted against drag forces from 1 pN to 5 pN within the first minute of UV-irradiation.