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SUMMARY:Probing Structure and Mechanics: from Nanoscopic Virus Squeezers u
 p to Cell/System-Sized Beds of Nails - Dr Wouter Roos\, Natuur- en Sterren
 kunde and LaserLab\, Vrije Universiteit\, De
DTSTART:20120613T100000Z
DTEND:20120613T110000Z
UID:TALK38567@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Leona Hope-Coles
DESCRIPTION:Structure and mechanics are intimately linked: from macroscopi
 c to nanoscopic length-scales\,\nfrom single particles to whole systems. H
 ere I will show how microscopic force sensor arrays\,\nor Beds of Nails\, 
 have been used to probe material properties of cells and the sub-cellular\
 ncytoskeleton. These arrays allow for studying the dynamics of rhythmic Ca
 rdiac Cell\ncontractions and the process of biopolymer network formation. 
 Going to a smaller scale\, I will\ndiscuss force spectroscopy measurements
  on viruses. This is an increasingly popular\ntechnique to study the mater
 ial properties of macromolecular assemblies such as viral shells\n(capsids
 ) [1]. I present a combined imaging and force spectroscopy approach to stu
 dy the\nstructure and mechanics of various viral particles. The force char
 acterisation studies are\nperformed by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) nanoi
 ndentation: literally squeezing single\nviral nanoparticles yields detaile
 d insights on their structure and mechanical properties. In\naddition to t
 his Virus Squeezer\, high resolution AFM imaging of the viral nano-particl
 es\nbefore and after indentation gives a complete picture of the response 
 of such nanocontainers\nto mechanical stress. Using examples showing how p
 re-stress can strengthen viral shells [2]\,\nhow single capsomeres (the vi
 ral structural units) can be removed out of the icosahedral\ncapsid lattic
 e without disrupting the overall structure\, and how conformational change
 s can\nlead to a considerable reinforcement of the capsid [3]\, I exemplif
 y the amazing wealth of\nvarieties nature developed to create robust prote
 in containers to protect the viral genome.\nFinally\, I show how by using 
 modelling approaches we extract additional information out of\nour experim
 ental data.\nReferences\n[1] W. H. Roos\, R. Bruinsma\, G. J. L. Wuite. Na
 ture Physics (2010)\, 6:733\n[2] M. Baclayon\, G. K. Shoemaker\, C. Uetrec
 ht\, S. Crawford\, M. Estes\, B. Prasad\,\nA.J. Heck\, G.J. Wuite\, W.H. R
 oos. Nano Letters (2011)\, 11:4865\n[3] W. H. Roos\, I. Gertsman\, E. R. M
 ay\, C. L. Brooks III\, J. E. Johnson\, G. J. L. Wuite\nProc. Natl. Acad. 
 Sci. U. S. A. (2012)\, 109: 2342
LOCATION:Small Lecture Theatre\, Cavendish Laboratory\, Department of Phys
 ics
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