Konformationsbewegungen von aktiven Membrantransportern

Mechanistic understanding of biological and biochemical processes requires methods to analyze structures and states but also conformational dynamics of biomacromolecules at room temperature under physiologically relevant conditions. Single-molecule Forster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) has evolved to a versatile tool for exactly this, the observation of intra- and intermolecular conformational dynamics and interactions of biomacromolecules. We here outline the basic principles and illustrate the applications of smFRET for understanding molecular mechanisms of active membrane transporters.