Theoretical analysis of single-molecule force spectroscopy experiments: Heterogeneity of chemical bonds

Abstract

We show that the standard theoretical framework in single-molecule force spectroscopy has to be extended to consistently describe the experimental findings. The basic amendment is to take into account heterogeneity of the chemical bonds via random variations of the force-dependent dissociation rates. This results in a very good agreement between theory and rupture data from several different experiments. © 2006 by the Biophysical Society.