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of molecular evolution in order to better understand the physical principles that describe the increasing complexity and diversification of mutant molecular populations. The objectives set by the group are listed below:
• Determination of the thermodynamics of nucleic acids to high resolution.
• Dynamic force spectroscopy and molecular imprinting methods.
• Thermodynamics of small systems and systems out of equilibrium.
• Molecular Motors.
• Experiments of molecular evolution and recognition with single molecule techniques.
Most relevant scientific articles
• Dieterich E., Camunas-Soler J., Ribezzi-Crivellari M., Seifert U., Ritort F. Control of force through feedback in small driven systems. Physical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics. 2016;94(1).
• Camunas-Soler J., Ribezzi-Crivellari M., Ritort F. Elastic Properties of Nucleic Acids by Single- Molecule Force Spectroscopy. Annual Review of Biophysics. 2016;45:65-84.
• Hodeib S., Raj S., Manosas M., Zhang W., Bagchi D., Ducos B. et al. Single molecule studies of helicases with magnetic tweezers. Methods. 2016;105:3-15.
Highlights
We have started a new European project (H2020-FETOPEN-2014-2015-RIA): Protein sequencing using optical single molecule real-time detection (PROSEQO).
We have obtained a project in the 2016 call for R & D Projects of the State Program for the Promotion of Scientific and Technical Research of Excellencies of MINECO. The project is called Investigations of Intermolecular Interactions in Nucleic Acids, Proteins and Drugs by Single Molecule Assays (FIS2016- 80458-P).
We have opened a new technology transfer line where we construct optical tweezer instrumentation for research groups from public and private institutions that are interested in opening lines of molecular or cellular characterization with single cell or molecule manipulation techniques. In September 2016, we signed a contract with the University of Padova (Italy) for the construction of one of these instruments.
We have made a qualitative leap in the expansion of our experimental capabilities at the single cell
level. On the one hand, we can measure the rheological properties of the cell membrane (passive microrheology). The results obtained were the starting point for a collaboration with the group Nanobioengineering (intramural project SPLEEN-RA). On the other hand, we can measure the deformation of red blood cells at real time by applying controlled forces, which opens the door to study, not only the rheological properties of the membrane, but also the interaction of the cytoskeleton with the membrane. In addition, in 2016 we took the first steps to use our optical tweezers device in cells attached to a substrate in order to mimic the in vivo situation of such cells.
We have applied the single molecule footprinting technique developed in 2015 for the study of interaction of small molecules with DNA (Netropsin and dendrimers). The results obtained allowed us to start a collaboration with the group Dendrimer Group for Biomedical Applications (intramural project SINDERNA).
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Research Groups 93