A Guide to Magnetic Tweezers and Their Applications

Abstract

Magnetic force spectroscopy is a rapidly developing single molecule technique that has found numerous applications at the interface of physics and biology. Since the invention of the first magnetic tweezers, a number of modifications to the approach have helped to relieve the limitations of the original design while amplifying its strengths. Inventive molecular biology solutions further advanced the technique by expanding its possible applications. In its present form, the method can be applied to both single molecules and live cells without resorting to intense irradiation, can be easily multiplexed, accommodates multiple DNAs, displays impressive resolution, and allows a remarkable ease in the stretching and twisting of macromolecules. In this review, we describe the architecture of magnetic tweezers, key requirements for experimental design and analysis of data, and outline several applications of the method that illustrate its versatility.

Innovative Tools for Mechanobiology: Unraveling Outside-In and Inside-Out Mechanotransduction

“…For larger levels of forces, other techniques have emerged such as optical tweezers (Killian et al, 2018), magnetic tweezers (Kollmannsberger and Fabry, 2007; Sarkar and Rybenkov, 2016), micropipette aspiration (Hochmuth, 2000) or uniaxial stretcher (Figure 5). Optical tweezers (also called optical traps or laser traps) consist of highly focused laser beam that provides an attractive or repulsive force.…”

Mechanical Characterization for Cellular Mechanobiology: Current Trends and Future Prospects

“…There are also difficulties working with particles susceptible to magnetic fields. Furthermore, the requirement that bulky magnets must be situated close to the sample complicates the combination of MTs with other applications (Sarkar and Rybenkov, 2016).…”

Single-Cell Elasticity Measurement with an Optically Actuated Microrobot

“…The complexity of microrobots spans from simple microspheres [ 1 , 9 ] to complex tailor-made microstructures [ 4 , 10 , 11 , 12 ], and sometimes a group of such structures is needed to perform specific tasks [ 13 , 14 ]. Most often, these microtools are actuated and guided by optical means, but magnetic [ 15 , 16 ] or acoustic [ 17 ] controls are also applied.…”