1. Using L-STM to directly visualize enzymatic self-assembly/disassembly of nanofibers
- Author
-
Lei Zhang, Junfeng Wang, Jihao Wang, Zhen Zheng, Gaolin Liang, Qingyou Lu, Xin Zhang, Yubin Hou, Maolin Xie, Peiyao Chen, and Jun Jiang
- Subjects
Materials science ,Supramolecular chemistry ,Nanotechnology ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Molecular resolution ,01 natural sciences ,0104 chemical sciences ,law.invention ,Characterization (materials science) ,Molecular level ,law ,Transmission electron microscopy ,Nanofiber ,General Materials Science ,Self-assembly ,Scanning tunneling microscope ,0210 nano-technology - Abstract
Self-assembly/disassembly is ubiquitous in nature and plays an important role in many biological events. But noninvasive characterization of this process in real time at molecular resolution remains challenging. Herein, using homebuilt liquid-phase scanning tunneling microscopy (L-STM) with ultrahigh stability, we directly visualized enzymatic self-assembly/disassembly of oligopeptide nanofibers in real time for the first time. Static high-resolution L-STM images clearly showed the molecular packing details in the supramolecular nanofiber and the diameter of the nanofiber was consistent with that of cryo transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) observations. Moreover, the self-repairing behavior of the supramolecular nanofibers was also directly observed at high resolution for the first time. This work unprecedentedly revealed new insights into Nature-mimic self-assembly and disassembly at the molecular level. It also illustrates the potential of our homebuilt L-STM in studying delicate biological processes in physiological solution with high resolution.
- Published
- 2016