Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Differential force microscope for long time-scale biophysical measurements.

Jason L Choy1, Sapun H Parekh, Ovijit Chaudhuri

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.

The Review of Scientific Instruments
|May 5, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A detailed molecular picture of protein folding during active translation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

How proteins fold.

Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology·2026
Same author

Morphological and molecular evidence of the Antarctic sleeper shark <i>Somniosus antarcticus</i> (Somniosidae) in northern Chile.

PeerJ·2026
Same author

Single-Molecule methods to investigate mechanisms of transcription by RNA polymerase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Methods (San Diego, Calif.)·2026
Same author

SmartTrap: automated precision experiments with optical tweezers.

Nature methods·2026
Same author

The Rossmann2×2 Fold Attains its Native Structure Via a Defined Pathway of Sequential and Cooperative Folding Units.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

A new differential force microscope improves stability for measuring molecular forces over long times. This technique quantifies actin network growth, revealing constant density under load.

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cellular mechanics
  • Molecular imaging

Background:

  • Force microscopy techniques like AFM enable molecular-scale force and distance measurements.
  • Limitations in sensitivity and stability hinder studies of slow, high-force biophysical systems, such as actin networks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a more stable AFM-based force microscope for long-timescale measurements.
  • To quantify the growth properties of actin networks under controlled loads.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a differential force microscope using two adjacent AFM cantilevers for enhanced stability.
  • Integration of epifluorescence imaging for simultaneous measurement of network length and fluorescence.
  • Application to in vitro studies of actin network growth under static loads.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated 14 nm displacement control over 3-hour measurement periods.
  • Quantified actin network growth, showing constant average cross-sectional density under static loads.
  • Enabled sensitive measurement of force and displacement for slow biophysical processes.

Conclusions:

  • The differential force microscope offers enhanced stability for long-timescale biophysical measurements.
  • This technique allows for detailed study of actin network dynamics and mechanics.
  • Provides a valuable tool for investigating slow cellular processes in vitro and in whole cells.