Optical Tweezers: Methods and Protocols [Hardcover]

This detailed volume explores a wide variety of techniques involving optical tweezers, a technology that has become increasingly more accessible to a broad range of researchers. Beginning with recent technical advances, the book continues by covering the application of optical tweezers to study DNA-protein interactions and DNA motors, protocols to perform protein (un)folding experiments, the application of optical tweezers to study actin- and microtubule-associated motor proteins, and well as protocols for investigating the function and mechanical properties of microtubules and intermediate filaments, and more. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. 

The Invention of the Laser.- Art Ashkin and the Origins of Optical Trapping and Particle Manipulation.- Synthesis of Germanium Nanospheres as High Precision Optical Tweezers Probes.- Angular Optical Trapping to Directly Measure DNA Torsional Mechanics.- Implementation of 3D Multi-Color Fluorescence Microscopy in a Quadruple Trap Optical Tweezers System.- One-Dimensional STED Microscopy in Optical Tweezers.- Temperature Quantification and Temperature Control in Optical Tweezers.- High-Resolution Optical Tweezers Combined with Multi-Color Single-Molecule Microscopy.- Generating Negatively Supercoiled DNA Using Dual-Trap Optical Tweezers.- Force-Activated DNA Substrates for In Situ Generation of ssDNA and Designed ssDNA/dsDNA Structures in an Optical-TrapplÃ3