Single Molecule Nanobiotechnology

Toshio Yanagida^1,2,3, Mitsuhiro Iwaki², So Nishikawa², Yoshiyuki Sowa² and Takaaki Aoki³

1) Department of Physiology and Biosignaling, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
2) Department of Systems and Human Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
3) Single Molecule Process Project. ICORP, JST, Mino, Osaka 562-0035, Japan

In recent years, the rapid development and progress of single-molecule detection techniques have opened up a new era of biological research. The advantage of single-molecule studies is that data are not obscured by the ensemble-averaged measurements inherent in classical biochemical experiments. These techniques are shedding light on the dynamic and mechanistic properties of molecular machines, both in vivo and in vitro. We summarize the single-molecule experiments that have been designed to investigate molecular motors, enzyme reactions, protein dynamics, DNA transcription and cell signaling.