Late‐Stage Diversification of Tryptophan‐Derived Biomolecules

Electron Microscopy of Biomolecules

Ultrasound ionization of biomolecules.

To date, mass spectrometric analysis of biomolecules has been primarily performed with either matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) or electrospray ionization (ESI). In this work, ultrasound produced by a simple piezoelectric device is shown as an alternative method for soft ionization of biomolecules. Precursor ions of proteins, saccharides and fatty acids showed little fragmenta...

Structural motifs of biomolecules.

Biomolecular structures are assemblies of emergent anisotropic building modules such as uniaxial helices or biaxial strands. We provide an approach to understanding a marginally compact phase of matter that is occupied by proteins and DNA. This phase, which is in some respects analogous to the liquid crystal phase for chain molecules, stabilizes a range of shapes that can be obtained by sequenc...

Force spectroscopy of single biomolecules.

Many processes in the body are effected and regulated by highly specialized protein molecules: These molecules certainly deserve the name "biochemical nanomachines". Recent progress in single-molecule experiments and corresponding simulations with supercomputers enable us to watch these "nanomachines" at work, revealing a host of astounding mechanisms. Examples are the fine-tuned movements of t...

Fluorescence spectroscopy of single biomolecules.

Recent advances in single-molecule detection and single-molecule spectroscopy at room temperature by laser-induced fluorescence offer new tools for the study of individual macromolecules under physiological conditions. These tools relay conformational states, conformational dynamics, and activity of single biological molecules to physical observables, unmasked by ensemble averaging. Distributio...