Seminar

Observation and manipulation of a single molecule in a nanometerwide pore for hours

Dr. David Rodriguez Larrea

Instituto Biofisika, CSIC-UPV

Date: May 16th 2025

Time: 13:00 h

Location: Aula I. Edificio Trilingüe, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Salamanca

Asbtract

In the last 50 years several technologies have allowed the analysis of single molecules with exquisite detail, from an isolated atom to large polymeric molecules. My research theme deals with one of them: nanopore technology. Nanopore technology is powerful because it is simple and robust, and has even led to commercial applications (most known is next-generation DNA sequencing). It can be combined with other single-molecule techniques such as optical tweezers and single-molecule fluorescence (TIRF modality). And perhaps more importantly, it shows exquisitely sensitive as illustrated by their ability to discern enantiomers (molecules which are non-superimposable mirror images of each other). Here I will explain the foundations of the technology and how we can develop technologies that allow the manipulation of a single protein molecule while information about its state is obtained. I will end explaining some interesting applications we are working on.

References:

1.- Rodriguez-Larrea D. Single-aminoacid discrimination in proteins with homogeneous nanopore sensors and neural networks. Biosensors & Bioelectronics. 113108 (2021)

2- Feng J, Martin-Baniandres P, Booth MJ, Veggiani G, Howarth M, Bayley H, Rodriguez-Larrea D. Transmembrane protein rotaxanes reveal kinetic traps in the refolding of translocated substrates . Communications Biology. 159 (2020).

3.- Rodriguez-Larrea D & Bayley H. Multistep protein unfolding during nanopore translocation. Nature Nanotechnology. Apr 8(4):288-95 (2013).