We have developed an analytical technique for single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) data that avoids filtering prior to analysis and performs pattern recognition to identify distinct SMFS events. The technique characterizes the signal similarity between all curves in a data set and generates a hierarchical clustering tree, from which clusters can be identified, aligned, and examined to identify key patterns. This procedure was applied to alpha-lactalbumin (aLA) on polystyrene substrates with flat and nanoscale curvature, and bacteriorhodopsin (bR) adsorbed on mica substrates. Cluster patterns identified for the aLA data sets were associated with different higher-order protein-protein interactions. Changes in the frequency of the patterns showed an increase in the monomeric signal from flat to curved substrates. Analysis of the bR data showed a high level of multiple protein SMFS events and allowed for the identification of a set of characteristic three-peak unfolding events.

As transições eletrônicas que apresenta as energias mais baixas no retinal e em quatro retinais sintéticos foram analisadas em dois diferentes ambientes: no vácuo e ligados à proteína bacterioopsina por uma base de Schiff protonada, utilizando diversos métodos de química teórica. Os resultados aqui apresentados fornecem indicativos de que três estados eletrônicos estão envolvidos na formação da primeira banda de absorção dos aldeídos, enquanto que, no caso dos compostos ligados à proteína apenas dois estados estariam envolvidos. As análises discutidas neste trabalho também sugerem uma possível explicação para o envolvimento de dois estados eletrônicos excitados no processo de fotoisomerização do retinal ligado à bacterioopsina. / Low-lying electronic transitions of retinal and of four synthetic retinals were analyzed in two different environments: in vacuum and linked to bacterioopsin through a protonated Schiff base, employing several methods of theoretical chemistry. The results here reported suggest that the first absorption band of the aldehydes involves three electronic states, while for the case of protein linked compounds, two states would be embraced. Our discussions also provided a possible explanation about the involvement of two electronic excited states in the photoisomerization process of retinal linked to bacterioopsin.