Nano-mechanical analysis through manipulating protein molecules with AFM

The authors are developing nanomechanical method to study protein structure in order to establish a method to understand mechanical and physical side of protein function. Using atomic force microscope (AFM), mechanically forced extensions of molecule were examined, where fine differences in conformation were detectable. Adhesive forces between molecules have also been studied worldwide and the future of mechanical approach to study biomolecules seems to be promising. A study on nano-mechanics of chaperonine molecule that helps denatured protein to fold correctly using compression-free force spectroscopy is shown.