USE OF SINGLE-MOLECULE FRET AND FLUORESCENCE CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY TO PROBE RNA FOLDING AND TRANSCRIPTIONAL INITIATION

摘要

A major hurdle that must be overcome to allow better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying complex biological processes, such as RNA folding and transcriptional initiation, is the lack of sensitivity of traditional biochemical techniques that consequently require relatively concentrated samples for study. Measurements made on ensembles of molecules in concentrated solutions result in an averaging of imiltiple conformational equilibria that may exist and this critical molecular detail is lost.