Date:
Mon, 29/05/201712:00-13:30
Location:
Levin building, Lecture Hall No. 8
Lecturer: Prof. Gilad Haran
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Physics and Astrophysics,
Weizmann Institute of Science
Abstract:
The mechanism of action of complex biological machines (such as enzymes) may involve a combination of chemical steps and conformational transitions, i.e. stochastic motions of machine parts against each other. The latter are oftentimes hidden to traditional investigations, but can be exposed by single-molecule experiments.
In this lecture I will discuss methods to probe the dynamics of enzymes on the single-molecule level. Our experiments rely mostly on fluorescent probes that report either on the chemical step of an enzyme or on its conformational dynamics. Using sophisticated analysis based on photon statistics, we are able to obtain information on fast dynamics. Our experiments reveal surprising physical phenomena, including dynamic disorder within an individual molecule as well as extremely fast (microsecond timescale) motions of large protein parts.
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Physics and Astrophysics,
Weizmann Institute of Science
Abstract:
The mechanism of action of complex biological machines (such as enzymes) may involve a combination of chemical steps and conformational transitions, i.e. stochastic motions of machine parts against each other. The latter are oftentimes hidden to traditional investigations, but can be exposed by single-molecule experiments.
In this lecture I will discuss methods to probe the dynamics of enzymes on the single-molecule level. Our experiments rely mostly on fluorescent probes that report either on the chemical step of an enzyme or on its conformational dynamics. Using sophisticated analysis based on photon statistics, we are able to obtain information on fast dynamics. Our experiments reveal surprising physical phenomena, including dynamic disorder within an individual molecule as well as extremely fast (microsecond timescale) motions of large protein parts.