Optical tweezers have become the method of choice in single-molecule manipulation
studies. In this Primer, we first review the physical principles of optical tweezers and the …

Manipulation of individual molecules with optical tweezers provides a powerful means of
interrogating the structure and folding of proteins. Mechanical force is not only a relevant …

An eccentric contraction involves the active lengthening of muscle under an external load.
The molecular and neural mechanisms underpinning eccentric contractions differ from those …

Forces in biological systems are typically investigated at the single-molecule level with
atomic force microscopy or optical and magnetic tweezers, but these techniques suffer from …

Single-molecule force spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful tool to investigate the forces
and motions associated with biological molecules and enzymatic activity. The most common …

The shapes of eukaryotic cells and ultimately the organisms that they form are defined by
cycles of mechanosensing, mechanotransduction and mechanoresponse. Local sensing of …

The past decade has seen substantial growth in research into how changes in the
biomechanical and biophysical properties of cells and subcellular structures influence, and …

Recent advances in single-molecule detection and single-molecule spectroscopy at room
temperature by laser-induced fluorescence offer new tools for the study of individual …

The dominant view of protein structure-function is that an amino acid sequence specifies a
three-dimensional (3-D) structure that is a prerequisite for protein function. In contrast, many …

Self-folding is an approach used frequently in nature for the efficient fabrication of structures,
but is seldom used in engineered systems. Here, self-folding origami are presented, which …