F40 module

 

The F40 module comprises a 40 amino acid (aa)-long mechanosensitive peptide derived from the highly elastic spider silk protein flagelliform. The F40 peptide has spring-like properties and responds to forces between 1–6 pN with a gradual length increase resulting in reduced FRET efficiency under load (Grashoff et al. 2010). The F40-based tension sensor module has been widely utilized and is especially powerful in detecting very low forces just above thermal noise. Due to its limited dynamic range and the gradual force response characteristics, however, it is less suitable to quantify molecular forces from ensemble measurements.

© Uni MS - Prof. Dr. C. Grashoff

 

Grashoff C, Hoffman BD, Brenner MD, Zhou R, Parsons M, Yang MT, McLean MA, Sligar SG, Chen CS, Ha T, Schwartz MA. Nature. 2010 Jul 8; 466:263-266. >>