Functional assemblies of biomolecules are inherently flexible, variable and irregular. Single-molecule imaging is a valuable tool in this sense because it reveals different stages of assembly and function. Quantification of structural features from individual molecular complexes is used to explain their mechanism of action. ConclusionĪssembled in a single user interface, SFMetrics serves as a semi-automatic analysis tool capable of measuring several geometrical properties (length, volume and angles) from DNA and protein complexes, but is also applicable to other samples with irregular shapes. We present SFMetrics as a metrology toolbox for SFM, specifically aimed at biomolecules like DNA and proteins, which features (a) semi-automatic high-throughput analysis of individual molecules (b) ease of use working within MATLAB environment or as a stand-alone application (c) compatibility with MultiMode (Bruker), NanoWizard (JPK instruments), Asylum (Asylum research), ASCII, and TIFF files, that can be adjusted with minor modifications to other formats.

Most existing SFM software tools are aimed at broad general use: from material-surface analysis to visualization of biomolecules.

However, high-throughput analysis of SFM data is limited by the lack of versatile software tools accessible to SFM users. Scanning force microscopy (SFM) allows direct, rapid and high-resolution visualization of single molecular complexes irregular shapes and differences in sizes are immediately revealed by the scanning tip in three-dimensional images.

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