Abstract
Molecular shuttles are the basis of some of the most advanced synthetic molecular machines. In these devices a macrocycle threaded onto a linear component shuttles between different portions of the thread in response to external stimuli. Here, we use optical tweezers to measure the mechanics and dynamics of individual molecular shuttles in aqueous conditions. Using DNA as a handle and as a single molecule reporter, we measure thousands of individual shuttling events and determine the force-dependent kinetic rates of the macrocycle motion and the main parameters governing the energy landscape of the system. Our findings could open avenues for the real-time characterization of synthetic devices at the single molecule level, and provide crucial information for designing molecular machinery able to operate under physiological conditions.
Highlights
Molecular shuttles are the basis of some of the most advanced synthetic molecular machines
We show that coupling of a molecular shuttle with double-stranded DNA enables its single-molecule manipulation under aqueous conditions
To interface the synthetic device with the optical tweezers, a single shuttle was connected between two functionalized beads using two double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) molecules, Fig. 1b
Summary
Molecular shuttles are the basis of some of the most advanced synthetic molecular machines. We quantify the force-dependent real-time shuttling kinetics of the macrocycle between the two stations and calculate the energy landscape of the system under our experimental conditions.
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