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Untangling DNA: The channel that relaxes DNA

Date:
August 20, 2014
Source:
Sissa Medialab
Summary:
A simple and effective way of unraveling the often tangled mass of DNA is to “thread” the strand into a nano-channel. A new study used simulations to measure the characteristics that this channel should have in order to achieve maximum efficiency.
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A simple and effective way of unravelling the often tangled mass of DNA is to "thread" the strand into a nano-channel. A study carried out with the participation of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste used simulations to measure the characteristics that this channel should have in order to achieve maximum efficiency.

With the widespread use of methods for DNA analysis and manipulation, it's certainly useful to find a way to unravel and relax the strands of this molecule that tends to form tangles spontaneously. One way is to use channels, or rather nano-channels, as Cristian Micheletti, SISSA research scientist, and Enzo Orlandini, of Padua University, did in a study just published in the journal Macro Letters.

The idea is to force the DNA into the channel so as to relax it completely. "But not just any channel will do," explains Micheletti. "Depending on the diameter of the nano-channel, the strand extremities can arrange into hook-like structures that will end up forming a knot."

"In our study we used simulation techniques to characterise the mechanisms leading to knot formation as a function of the diameter of the channel," Micheletti continues.

The result? "Below 50 nanometres in diameter the tendency to form knots decreases dramatically." Thanks to these observations it is possible to design channels having the ideal characteristics for achieving a nicely stretched out DNA strand, free of the entanglements that can hinder many methods for genetic analysis.


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Materials provided by Sissa Medialab. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Cristian Micheletti, Enzo Orlandini. Knotting and Unknotting Dynamics of DNA Strands in Nanochannels. ACS Macro Letters, 2014; 876 DOI: 10.1021/mz500402s

Cite This Page:

Sissa Medialab. "Untangling DNA: The channel that relaxes DNA." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 August 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140820091307.htm>.
Sissa Medialab. (2014, August 20). Untangling DNA: The channel that relaxes DNA. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140820091307.htm
Sissa Medialab. "Untangling DNA: The channel that relaxes DNA." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140820091307.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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