▪ Abstract Mechanical processes are involved in nearly every facet of the cell cycle.
Mechanical forces are generated in the cell during processes as diverse as chromosomal …

High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is now materialized. It allows direct
visualization of dynamic structural changes and dynamic processes of functioning biological …

Soluble N-ethylmaleimide–sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins
drive membrane fusion by assembling into a four-helix bundle in a zippering process. Here …

We present a unified framework for extracting kinetic information from single-molecule
pulling experiments at constant force or constant pulling speed. Our procedure provides …

Directly observing individual protein molecules in action at high spatiotemporal resolution
has long been a holy grail for biological science. This is because we long have had to infer …

In the history of science and technology, researchers have always undertaken endeavors to
enhance the degree of “directness of measurement”. With “directness of measurement”, we …

I review single-molecule experiments (SMEs) in biological physics. Recent technological
developments have provided the tools to design and build scientific instruments of high …

Many biologically important macromolecules undergo motions that are essential to their
function. Biophysical techniques can now resolve the motions of single molecules down to …

The mechanical unfolding of the muscle protein titin by atomic force microscopy was a
landmark in our understanding of single-biomolecule mechanics. Molecular dynamics …

Cells can sense and transduce a broad range of mechanical forces into distinct sets of
biochemical signals that ultimately regulate cellular processes, including adhesion …