The study of protein mechanics with the atomic force microscope
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2026

Force Spectroscopy of Single Protein Molecules Using an Atomic Force Microscope
Published on: February 28, 2019
T E Fisher1, A F Oberhauser, M Carrion-Vazquez
1Dept of Physiology and Biophysics, Mayo Foundation, 1-117 Medical Sciences Building, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Abstract:
The unfolding and folding of single protein molecules can be studied with an atomic force microscope (AFM). Many proteins with mechanical functions contain multiple, individually folded domains with similar structures. Protein engineering techniques have enabled the construction and expression of recombinant proteins that contain multiple copies of identical domains. Thus, the AFM in combination with protein engineering has enabled the kinetic analysis of the force-induced unfolding and refolding of individual domains as well as the study of the determinants of mechanical stability.
Related Concept Videos
Studying the Cytoskeleton
Mechanical Protein Functions
Atomic Force Microscopy
The AFM Probe
The probe is regarded as the heart of any AFM setup and comprises the...
Protein Dynamics in Living Cells
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...
Proteomics
Proteomics is the study of proteomes' function. It involves the large-scale systematic study of the proteome to denote the protein complement expressed by a genome. Scientist Mark Wilkins coined the term proteomics...

