How Strong Is the Coordination Bond between a Histidine Tag and Ni - Nitrilotriacetate? An Experiment of Mechanochemistry on Single Molecules

Abstract

Isolation of a His-tagged protein by means of a Ni – nitrilotriacetate-functionalized chromatographic matrix or biosensor was simulated in a single-molecule experiment, and the mechanochemistry—that is, the interplay between mechanical and chemical forces (shown schematically)—was studied with a scanning force microscope.