C-Trap

Blog posts

Electrostatic effects on vimentin stiffness demonstrated with the C-Trap^®

A recently published study from the lab of Prof. Sarah Köster at the University of Göttingen investigated how electrostatic conditions influence the mechanical properties of intermediate filament vimentin, such as structural stability. The researchers assessed these features by stretching the protein in different buffer conditions, using the C-Trap® with correlated optical…

j.yeh6 August 2020

Blog posts

In vitro characterization of nucleosomes upon DNA unwrapping using the C-Trap^®

A recent publication in the journal Scientific Reports describes a new method to create arrays of nucleosome positioning motifs. Through sequential Gibson Assembly reactions, the researchers managed to clone a series of sequence motifs, with high affinity for histone octamers, into one DNA molecule. The approach is ideal to start…

j.yeh16 July 2020

Blog posts

Vesicle-like RNA–protein condensates characterized by the C-Trap^®

We were happy to find yet another publication from the lab of Dr. Priya Banerjee with results from C-Trap® analyses! This time his lab examined the formation and features of vesicle-like RNA–protein structures, which differ from the more known uniform droplets. Apart from offering new insights to an emerging field,…

j.yeh9 July 2020

Blog posts

Exploring mitochondrial translation processes with the C-Trap^®

This month, we find the C-Trap® featured in Nature Communications in an article published by the lab of Dr. Joanna Rorbach in which they describe mitochondrial translation initiation. The study provides insight into a relatively unexplored, yet exciting field that investigates the properties of mitochondrial ribosomes (mitoribosomes) during translation. Understanding…

j.yeh25 June 2020

Blog posts

Recent review highlights the impact of force spectroscopy and the C-Trap^®

We were happy to read last week that LUMICKS was recognized for our efforts in the field of dynamic single-molecule research! A recent review in ACS Publications examined the current advances in single-molecule research, highlighting the impact of force spectroscopy techniques to biology, including optical tweezers, magnetic tweezers, and atomic…

j.yeh21 May 2020

Blog posts

New insights into the initiation of nucleotide excision repair found using C-Trap^®

A recent publication in PNAS shows how the catalytically inactive alkyltransferase-like protein (ATL) scans and recognizes detrimental DNA alkylation lesions. The C-Trap® with correlated optical tweezers and confocal microscopy enabled researchers to investigate how ATL interacts with DNA to identify alkyl lesions and interact with associated repair proteins. The findings…

j.yeh30 April 2020

Blog posts

New mechanism of helicase-induced DNA unwinding from nicks found with the C-Trap^®

A study published in eLife shows how replication protein A (RPA) activates helicase Bloom syndrome protein (BLM) to unwind double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) bidirectionally from nicks. The C-Trap® enabled the researchers to simultaneously measure and visualize the DNA–protein interactions in real time. The findings highlight previously unknown mechanisms of BLM that…

j.yeh26 March 2020

Blog posts

Controlled ligand gradient through C-Trap^® facilitates DSM measurements

A publication in the journal Micromachines describes how researchers managed to control the concentrations of DNA-binding dyes in single-molecule optical tweezers experiments on DNA. They established a controlled concentration gradient with the multi-channel laminar microfluidics system integrated with their C-Trap® correlated optical tweezers and confocal microscopy. The study demonstrates a…

j.yeh19 March 2020

Blog posts

Impressions from LUMICKS’ Training Session for new users

As part of our commitment to support scientists through all the stages towards their first publication using our instruments, we often organize dedicated training sessions. In the case of the lab of Prof. Shi at Tsinghua University, this was in the form of a 5-day advanced training, providing in-depth knowledge…

Adrià Ferragut16 March 2020

Blog posts

Study shows detailed properties of Ca2+ sensors during membrane fusion

A recent study in the Biophysical Journal shows how a Dutch research group measured and visualized dynamic interactions between membranes in the presence of Ca2+ sensors and synaptic inducers Syt1 and Doc2b. With the combined optical tweezers and confocal fluorescence microscopy configuration of the C-Trap®, the team revealed Ca2+ sensor-dependent…

j.yeh12 March 2020

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