Essential Components for a High Resolution Optical Tweezers

该设备资助将允许申请人购买必要的组件，以定制高分辨率双光束光学镊子系统，用于在单分子水平上研究弹性蛋白质的机械性能。我们的研究重点是阐明蛋白质机械稳定性的物理化学机制，并开发合理的方法来定制这些机械特性，并将这些蛋白质作为自下而上构建新型蛋白质生物材料的基石。为了实现这一目标，我们将单分子原子力显微镜和提出的高分辨率光学镊子结合起来，在单分子水平上理解、控制和设计蛋白质的机械特性。单分子原子力显微镜和提出的光学镊子装置的结合将使我们能够覆盖蛋白质的机械稳定性的全谱，范围从几皮牛顿到数百皮牛顿，并研究具有不同功能的各种弹性蛋白质的机械性能，包括从自然界的结构材料构成蛋白质。以及人造弹性体蛋白质，模仿自然设计并提供独特的功能特性。然后，这些蛋白质可以用作构建具有定制机械性能的基于蛋白质的生物材料的基石，用于材料科学和生物医学工程。

This equipment grant will allow the applicant to purchase essential components to custom-build a high resolution dual beam optical tweezers system for investigating the mechanical properties of elastomeric proteins at the single molecule level. Our research program is focused on elucidating the physicochemical mechanisms underlying the mechanical stability of proteins, and to develop rational ways to tailor these mechanical properties and use these proteins as building blocks for the bottom-up construction of novel protein-based biomaterials. Towards this goal, we will combine single molecule atomic force microscopy and the proposed high resolution optical tweezers to understand, control and engineer the mechanical properties of proteins at the single molecule level. The combination of single molecule atomic force microscopy and the proposed optical tweezers setup will enable us to cover the full spectrum of mechanical stability of proteins, ranging from a few picoNewtons to hundreds of picoNewtons, and investigate the mechanical properties of a wide range of elastomeric proteins with diverse functions, including constituting proteins from structural materials in nature, as well as artificial elastomeric proteins that mimic natural designs and provide unique functional properties. These proteins can then be used as building blocks to construct protein-based biomaterials with tailored mechanical properties for applications in material sciences and biomedical engineering.