Using L-STM to directly visualize enzymatic self-assembly/disassembly of nanofibers
Using L-STM to directly visualize enzymatic self-assembly/disassembly of nanofibers
复制标题
使用 L-STM 直接可视化纳米纤维的酶促自组装/分解
DOI：
10.1039/c6nr03056d
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发表时间：
2016-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
6.7
通讯作者：
Liang, Gaolin
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Zheng, Zhen;Wang, Jihao;Liang, Gaolin
自组装/分解是自然界中普遍存在的现象，在许多生物事件中起着重要的作用。但是，在分子分辨率下实时非侵入性描述这一过程仍然具有挑战性。在这里，我们首次利用自制的超高稳定性液相扫描隧道显微镜，直接实时可视化了寡肽纳米纤维的酶促自组装/拆解。静态高分辨率L扫描隧道显微镜图像清晰地显示了超分子纳米纤维中的分子堆积细节，纳米纤维的直径与低温透射电子显微镜的观察结果一致。此外，还首次在高分辨率下直接观察到了超分子纳米纤维的自修复行为。这项工作史无前例地揭示了对大自然的新见解--在分子水平上模拟自组装和拆卸。这也说明了我们自制的L扫描隧道显微镜在高分辨率生理溶液中研究精细生物过程的潜力。
Self-assembly/disassembly is ubiquitous in nature and plays an important role in many biological events. But noninvasive characterization of this process in real time at molecular resolution remains challenging. Herein, using homebuilt liquid-phase scanning tunneling microscopy (L-STM) with ultrahigh stability, we directly visualized enzymatic self-assembly/disassembly of oligopeptide nanofibers in real time for the first time. Static high-resolution L-STM images clearly showed the molecular packing details in the supramolecular nanofiber and the diameter of the nanofiber was consistent with that of cryo transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) observations. Moreover, the self-repairing behavior of the supramolecular nanofibers was also directly observed at high resolution for the first time. This work unprecedentedly revealed new insights into Nature-mimic self-assembly and disassembly at the molecular level. It also illustrates the potential of our homebuilt L-STM in studying delicate biological processes in physiological solution with high resolution.