Rosen et al showed, at the single-molecule level, that a protein fluctuates between the native and an intermediate state during its forced translocation through a transmembrane pore, and the kinetics of fluctuations provide the free energy landscape as a function of force. They show further that apparently minor events, like the binding of a divalent metal ion, can have major impacts on the translocation kinetics.
- Christian Bech Rosen
- Hagan Bayley
- David Rodriguez-Larrea