Tracking rotational dynamics of single biomolecules

This work will be focused on the study of rotational dynamics of single molecules using non-invasive optical microscopy based on interferometric detection of scattered light (iSCAT). The candidate will be involved in the development and application of methods for rapid tracking of the macromolecules and their complexes with an emphasis on improving the precision to measure their orientation in space (rotation) and shape (conformation). The objective will be to increase the sensitivity down to the single-molecule level and to demonstrate the potential of such information-rich tracking on selected biophysical processes such as the rotation of an enzymatically unwound DNA double helix [1] or the dynamics of macromolecular complexes [2] and their interactions on solid surfaces or lipid membranes. The work will also include the optimization of labeling of biomolecules with anisotropic scattering labels such as plasmonic nanoparticles or structured DNA (DNA origami).

The applicant is expected to be a graduate of the biophysics and chemical physics master program (or having knowledge at a comparable level) and should be highly motivated and capable to learn and creatively contribute to the interdisciplinary experimental research spanning from nano-optics to biophysics.

[1] Kosuri, P.; Altheimer, B. D.; Dai, M.; Yin, P.; Zhuang, X. Rotation Tracking of Genome-Processing Enzymes Using DNA Origami Rotors. Nature 2019, 572 (7767), 136–140. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1397-7.

[2] Vala, M.; Bujak, Ł.; Garcia Marin, A.; Holanová, K.; Henrichs, V.; Braun, M.; Lánský, Z.; Piliarik, M. Nanoscopic Structural Fluctuations of Disassembling Microtubules Revealed by Label‐Free Super‐Resolution Microscopy. Small Methods 2021, 5 (4), 2000985.