High-resolution imaging and force spectroscopy of single membrane proteins by atomic force microscopy

Membrane proteins play an essential role in the life activities of cells and are associated with many pathological processes. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) provides an exciting tool to image the topographical structures and detect the mechanical properties of single membrane proteins in their native states, considerably complementing the studies of membrane proteins by traditional methods and remarkably providing novel insights into the biophysics of membrane proteins with molecular resolution. In this chapter, applications of AFM in the studies of single membrane proteins are presented, mainly including high-resolution topographical imaging of membrane proteins, real-time capturing of conformational and motional dynamics of membrane proteins, unfolding mechanics of membrane proteins, simultaneous structural and mechanical imaging of membrane proteins, and recognizing membrane proteins in plasma membrane patches.