The K2: Open-source simultaneous triple-color TIRF microscope for live-cell and single-molecule imaging.

Imaging the dynamics and interactions of biomolecules at the single-molecule level in live cells and reconstituted systems has generated unprecedented knowledge about the biomolecular processes underlying many cellular functions. To achieve the speed and sensitivity needed to detect and follow individual molecules, these experiments typically require custom-built microscopes or custom modifications of commercial systems. The costs of such single-molecule microscopes, their technical complexity and the lack of open-source documentation on how to build custom setups therefore limit the accessibility of single-molecule imaging techniques. To advance the adaptation of dynamic single-molecule imaging by a wider community, we present the "K2": an open-source, simultaneous triple-color total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscope specifically designed for live-cell and single-molecule imaging. We explain our design considerations and provide step-by-step building instructions, parts list and full CAD models. The modular design of this TIRF microscope allows users to customize it to their scientific and financial needs, or to re-use parts of our design to improve the capabilities of their existing setups without necessarily having to build a full copy of the K2 microscope.

Kinetics and equilibrium constants of oligonucleotides at low concentrations. Hybridization and melting study.

Although DNA hybridization/melting is one of the most important biochemical reactions, the non-trivial kinetics of the process is not yet fully understood. In this work, we use Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to investigate the influence of temperature, ionic strength, and oligonucleotide length on the kinetic and equilibrium constants of DNA oligonucleotide binding and dissociation. We show that at low reagent concentrations and ionic strength, the time needed to establish equilibrium between single and double strand forms may be of the order of days, even for simple oligonucleotides of a length of 20 base pairs or less. We also identify and discuss the possible artifacts related to fluorescence-based experiments conducted in extremely dilute solutions. The results should prove useful for the judicious design of technologies based on DNA-matching, including sensors, DNA multiplication, sequencing, and gene manipulation.

A novel workflow control system for Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry allows for unique on-the-fly data-dependent decisions.

In this paper a novel workflow-based data acquisition and control system for Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) is presented that facilitates a fast on-the-fly decision-making process for a wide variety of data-dependent experiments. Several new workflow implementations demonstrate the flexibility and benefit of this approach for rapid dynamic experimental design on a chromatographic timescale. The different sequence, evaluation, decision and monitoring modules are described using a selected set of examples. During a tandem liquid chromatography (LC)/FTICR-MS experiment the system is used to dynamically switch between various dissociation techniques such as electron capture dissociation (ECD) and sustained off-resonance irradiation (SORI) depending on the charge state of a tryptic peptide peak. The use of this workflow-based system for imaging FTICR-MS using a desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) source demonstrates the possibility of external control of the workflow by feedback from an imaging sample stage.