Toward dynamic structural biology: Two decades of single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer

Abstract

Watching single molecules in motion Structural techniques such as x-ray crystallography and electron microscopy give insight into how macromolecules function by providing snapshots of different conformational states. Function also depends on the path between those states, but to see that path involves watching single molecules move. This became possible with the advent of single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET), which was first implemented in 1996. Lerner et al. review how smFRET has been used to study macromolecules in action, providing mechanistic insights into processes such as DNA repair, transcription, and translation. They also describe current limitations of the approach and suggest how future developments may expand the applications of smFRET. Science , this issue p. eaan1133