Description:
<jats:title>Significance</jats:title>
<jats:p>A conversion between macromolecular shapes—a conformational change—is usually the mechanism that gives function to biological macromolecules. Single-molecule force spectroscopy probes conformational changes by applying force to individual macromolecules and recording their response, or “mechanical fingerprints”, in the form of force–extension curves. The mechanical fingerprints of proteins, nucleic acids, and their assemblies often feature elaborate signatures that reflect the complexity of the underlying biomolecular interactions. This study introduces a transformation that converts—in a model-free way—the mechanical fingerprints of a complex system into a map of force-dependent transition rates. Once transformed into a rate map, the mechanical fingerprints can be interpreted in terms of the activation barriers and the intrinsic timescales of a biological process.</jats:p>