scholarly journals The Single Molecule Imaging Approach to Membrane Protein Stoichiometry

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 771-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Hallworth ◽  
Michael G. Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Single Molecules ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Subunit Stoichiometry ◽  
Technical Advances ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
Visualization Techniques ◽  
Fluorescent Molecules

AbstractRecent technical advances have enabled the imaging of single fluorescent molecules. The application of single molecule visualization techniques has opened up new avenues of experimentation in biology at the molecular level. In this article, we review the application of single fluorescent molecule visualization and analysis to an important problem, that of subunit stoichiometry in membrane proteins, with particular emphasis on our approach. Single fluorescent molecules, coupled to fluorescent proteins, are localized in the membranes of cells. The molecules are then exposed to continuous low-level excitation until their fluorescent emissions reach background levels. The high sensitivity of modern instrumentation has enabled direct observations of discrete step decreases in the fluorescence of single molecules, which represent the bleaching of single fluorophores. By counting the number of steps over a large number of single molecules, an average step count is determined from which the stoichiometry is deduced using a binomial model. We examined the stoichiometry of a protein, prestin, that is central to mammalian hearing. We discuss how we prepared, identified, and imaged single molecules of prestin. The methodological considerations behind our approach are described and compared to similar procedures in other laboratories.

scholarly journals Scanning single-molecule counting system for Eprobe with highly simple and effective approach

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243319
Author(s):  
Takeshi Hanami ◽  
Tetsuya Tanabe ◽  
Takuya Hanashi ◽  
Mitsushiro Yamaguchi ◽  
Hidetaka Nakata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nucleic Acid ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Nucleic Acid Detection ◽  
Digital Measurement ◽  
Excitation Light ◽  
Target Nucleic Acid ◽  
Fluorescent Molecules

Here, we report a rapid and ultra-sensitive detection technique for fluorescent molecules called scanning single molecular counting (SSMC). The method uses a fluorescence-based digital measurement system to count single molecules in a solution. In this technique, noise is reduced by conforming the signal shape to the intensity distribution of the excitation light via a circular scan of the confocal region. This simple technique allows the fluorescent molecules to freely diffuse into the solution through the confocal region and be counted one by one and does not require statistical analysis. Using this technique, 28 to 62 aM fluorescent dye was detected through measurement for 600 s. Furthermore, we achieved a good signal-to-noise ratio (S/N = 2326) under the condition of 100 pM target nucleic acid by only mixing a hybridization-sensitive fluorescent probe, called Eprobe, into the target oligonucleotide solution. Combination of SSMC and Eprobe provides a simple, rapid, amplification-free, and high-sensitive target nucleic acid detection system. This method is promising for future applications to detect particularly difficult to design primers for amplification as miRNAs and other short oligo nucleotide biomarkers by only hybridization with high sensitivity.

scholarly journals Single-molecule optical absorption imaging by nanomechanical photothermal sensing

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (44) ◽  
pp. 11150-11155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao-Hsuan Chien ◽  
Mario Brameshuber ◽  
Benedikt K. Rossboth ◽  
Gerhard J. Schütz ◽  
Silvan Schmid
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Shot Noise ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Local Heating ◽  
Single Molecules ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Noise Ratio

Absorption microscopy is a promising alternative to fluorescence microscopy for single-molecule imaging. So far, molecular absorption has been probed optically via the attenuation of a probing laser or via photothermal effects. The sensitivity of optical probing is not only restricted by background scattering but it is fundamentally limited by laser shot noise, which minimizes the achievable single-molecule signal-to-noise ratio. Here, we present nanomechanical photothermal microscopy, which overcomes the scattering and shot-noise limit by detecting the photothermal heating of the sample directly with a temperature-sensitive substrate. We use nanomechanical silicon nitride drums, whose resonant frequency detunes with local heating. Individual Au nanoparticles with diameters from 10 to 200 nm and single molecules (Atto 633) are scanned with a heating laser with a peak irradiance of 354 ± 45 µW/µm2 using 50× long-working-distance objective. With a stress-optimized drum we reach a sensitivity of 16 fW/Hz1/2 at room temperature, resulting in a single-molecule signal-to-noise ratio of >70. The high sensitivity combined with the inherent wavelength independence of the nanomechanical sensor presents a competitive alternative to established tools for the analysis and localization of nonfluorescent single molecules and nanoparticles.

scholarly journals Inferring subunit stoichiometry from single molecule photobleaching

2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (6) ◽  
pp. 737-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keegan E. Hines
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Single Molecules ◽  
Optimal Estimate ◽  
Inference Model ◽  
Inference Problem ◽  
Analytical Basis ◽  
Subunit Stoichiometry ◽  
Experimental Tool ◽  
Ill Posed

Single molecule photobleaching is a powerful tool for determining the stoichiometry of protein complexes. By attaching fluorophores to proteins of interest, the number of associated subunits in a complex can be deduced by imaging single molecules and counting fluorophore photobleaching steps. Because some bleaching steps might be unobserved, the ensemble of steps will be binomially distributed. In this work, it is shown that inferring the true composition of a complex from such data is nontrivial because binomially distributed observations present an ill-posed inference problem. That is, a unique and optimal estimate of the relevant parameters cannot be extracted from the observations. Because of this, a method has not been firmly established to quantify confidence when using this technique. This paper presents a general inference model for interpreting such data and provides methods for accurately estimating parameter confidence. The formalization and methods presented here provide a rigorous analytical basis for this pervasive experimental tool.

scholarly journals Detection of genetic variation and base modifications at base-pair resolution on both DNA and RNA

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Wang ◽  
Jérôme Maluenda ◽  
Laurène Giraut ◽  
Thibault Vieille ◽  
Andréas Lefevre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Fragile X ◽  
Methylation Status ◽  
Single Molecules ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Dna And Rna ◽  
Magnetic Tweezer ◽  
Base Modifications ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

AbstractAccurate decoding of nucleic acid variation is critical to understand the complexity and regulation of genome function. Here we use a single-molecule magnetic tweezer (MT) platform to identify sequence variation and map a range of important epigenetic base modifications with high sensitivity, specificity, and precision in the same single molecules of DNA or RNA. We have also developed a highly specific amplification-free CRISPR-Cas enrichment strategy to isolate genomic regions from native DNA. We demonstrate enrichment of DNA from both E. coli and the FMR1 5’UTR coming from cells derived from a Fragile X carrier. From these kilobase-length enriched molecules we could characterize the differential levels of adenine and cytosine base modifications on E. coli, and the repeat expansion length and methylation status of FMR1. Together these results demonstrate that our platform can detect a variety of genetic, epigenetic, and base modification changes concomitantly within the same single molecules.

scholarly journals Detecting genetic variation and base modifications together in the same single molecules of DNA and RNA at base pair resolution using a magnetic tweezer platform

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Wang ◽  
Jérôme Maluenda ◽  
Laurène Giraut ◽  
Thibault Vieille ◽  
Andréas Lefevre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Fragile X ◽  
Methylation Status ◽  
Single Molecules ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Base Modification ◽  
Dna And Rna ◽  
Magnetic Tweezer ◽  
Base Modifications ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

AbstractAccurate decoding of nucleic acid variation is important to understand the complexity and regulation of genome function. Here we introduce a single-molecule platform based on magnetic tweezer (MT) technology that can identify and map the positions of sequence variation and multiple base modifications together in the same single molecules of DNA or RNA at single base resolution. Using synthetic templates, we demonstrate that our method can distinguish the most common epigenetic marks on DNA and RNA with high sensitivity, specificity and precision. We also developed a highly specific CRISPR-Cas enrichment strategy to target genomic regions in native DNA without amplification. We then used this method to enrich native DNA from E. coli and characterized the differential levels of adenine and cytosine base modifications together in molecules of up to 5 kb in length. Finally, we enriched the 5‘UTR of FMR1 from cells derived from a Fragile X carrier and precisely measured the repeat expansion length and methylation status of each molecule. These results demonstrate that our platform can detect a variety of genetic, epigenetic and base modification changes concomitantly within the same single molecules.

Direct Read and Quantify Damage Nucleotide from an Oligonucleotide Using a Single Molecule Interface

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiajun Wang ◽  
Meng-Yin Li ◽  
Jie Yang ◽  
Ya-Qian Wang ◽  
Xue-Yuan Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequencing ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Genetic Diseases ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Dna Lesions ◽  
Lesion Detection ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Structural Variations ◽  
Dna Lesion ◽  
Base Lesion

DNA lesion such as metholcytosine(<sup>m</sup>C), 8-OXO-guanine(<sup>O</sup>G), inosine(I) <i>etc</i> could cause the genetic diseases. Identification of the varieties of lesion bases are usually beyond the capability of conventional DNA sequencing which is mainly designed to discriminate four bases only. Therefore, lesion detection remain challenge due to the massive varieties and less distinguishable readouts for minor structural variations. Moreover, standard amplification and labelling hardly works in DNA lesions detection. Herein, we designed a single molecule interface from the mutant K238Q Aerolysin, whose confined sensing region shows the high compatible to capture and then directly convert each base lesion into distinguishable current readouts. Compared with previous single molecule sensing interface, the resolution of the K238Q Aerolysin nanopore is enhanced by 2-order. The novel K238Q could direct discriminate at least 3 types (<sup>m</sup>C, <sup>O</sup>G, I) lesions without lableing and quantify modification sites under mixed hetero-composition condition of oligonucleotide. Such nanopore could be further applied to diagnose genetic diseases at high sensitivity.

scholarly journals Nanopore Technology for the Application of Protein Detection

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1942
Author(s):  
Xiaoqing Zeng ◽  
Yang Xiang ◽  
Qianshan Liu ◽  
Liang Wang ◽  
Qianyun Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Protein Detection ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Single Molecule Detection ◽  
Sequence Detection ◽  
Fast Detection ◽  
Material Basis ◽  
Sensing Technology ◽  
Detection Technology ◽  
Structure Recognition

Protein is an important component of all the cells and tissues of the human body and is the material basis of life. Its content, sequence, and spatial structure have a great impact on proteomics and human biology. It can reflect the important information of normal or pathophysiological processes and promote the development of new diagnoses and treatment methods. However, the current techniques of proteomics for protein analysis are limited by chemical modifications, large sample sizes, or cumbersome operations. Solving this problem requires overcoming huge challenges. Nanopore single molecule detection technology overcomes this shortcoming. As a new sensing technology, it has the advantages of no labeling, high sensitivity, fast detection speed, real-time monitoring, and simple operation. It is widely used in gene sequencing, detection of peptides and proteins, markers and microorganisms, and other biomolecules and metal ions. Therefore, based on the advantages of novel nanopore single-molecule detection technology, its application to protein sequence detection and structure recognition has also been proposed and developed. In this paper, the application of nanopore single-molecule detection technology in protein detection in recent years is reviewed, and its development prospect is investigated.

scholarly journals Three-dimensional total-internal reflection fluorescence nanoscopy with nanometric axial resolution by photometric localization of single molecules

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan M. Szalai ◽  
Bruno Siarry ◽  
Jerónimo Lukin ◽  
David J. Williamson ◽  
Nicolás Unsain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Total Internal Reflection ◽  
Single Molecules ◽  
Fluorescence Microscope ◽  
Internal Reflection ◽  
Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence ◽  
Axial Position ◽  
Localization Microscopy ◽  
Localization Precision ◽  
Single Molecule Localization Microscopy

AbstractSingle-molecule localization microscopy enables far-field imaging with lateral resolution in the range of 10 to 20 nanometres, exploiting the fact that the centre position of a single-molecule’s image can be determined with much higher accuracy than the size of that image itself. However, attaining the same level of resolution in the axial (third) dimension remains challenging. Here, we present Supercritical Illumination Microscopy Photometric z-Localization with Enhanced Resolution (SIMPLER), a photometric method to decode the axial position of single molecules in a total internal reflection fluorescence microscope. SIMPLER requires no hardware modification whatsoever to a conventional total internal reflection fluorescence microscope and complements any 2D single-molecule localization microscopy method to deliver 3D images with nearly isotropic nanometric resolution. Performance examples include SIMPLER-direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy images of the nuclear pore complex with sub-20 nm axial localization precision and visualization of microtubule cross-sections through SIMPLER-DNA points accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography with sub-10 nm axial localization precision.

scholarly journals Single-copy detection of somatic variants from solid and liquid biopsy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana-Luisa Silva ◽  
Paulina Klaudyna Powalowska ◽  
Magdalena Stolarek ◽  
Eleanor Ruth Gray ◽  
Rebecca Natalie Palmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Copy Detection ◽  
Allele Specific

AbstractAccurate detection of somatic variants, against a background of wild-type molecules, is essential for clinical decision making in oncology. Existing approaches, such as allele-specific real-time PCR, are typically limited to a single target gene and lack sensitivity. Alternatively, next-generation sequencing methods suffer from slow turnaround time, high costs, and are complex to implement, typically limiting them to single-site use. Here, we report a method, which we term Allele-Specific PYrophosphorolysis Reaction (ASPYRE), for high sensitivity detection of panels of somatic variants. ASPYRE has a simple workflow and is compatible with standard molecular biology reagents and real-time PCR instruments. We show that ASPYRE has single molecule sensitivity and is tolerant of DNA extracted from plasma and formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) samples. We also demonstrate two multiplex panels, including one for detection of 47 EGFR variants. ASPYRE presents an effective and accessible method that simplifies highly sensitive and multiplexed detection of somatic variants.

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