Stretching and imaging single DNA molecules and chromatin
- PMID: 12785092
- DOI: 10.1023/a:1023498120458
Stretching and imaging single DNA molecules and chromatin
Abstract
The advent of single-molecule biology has allowed unprecedented insight into the dynamic behavior of biological macromolecules and their complexes. Unexpected properties, masked by the asynchronous behavior of myriads of molecules in bulk experiments, can be revealed; equally importantly, individual members of a molecular population often exhibit distinct features in their properties. Finally, the single-molecule approaches allow us to study the behavior of biological macromolecules under applied tension or torsion: understanding the mechanical properties of these molecules helps us understand how they function in the cell. The aim of this chapter is to summarize and critically evaluate the properties of single DNA molecules and of single chromatin fibers. The use of the high-resolution imaging capabilities of the atomic force microscopy has been covered, together with manipulating techniques such as optical fibers, optical and magnetic tweezers, and flow fields. We have learned a lot about DNA and how it responds to applied forces. It is also clear that even though the study of the properties of individual chromatin fibers has just begun, the single-molecule approaches are expected to provide a wealth of information concerning the mechanical properties of chromatin and the way its structure changes during processes like transcription and replication.
Similar articles
-
Magnetic tweezers: a sensitive tool to study DNA and chromatin at the single-molecule level.Biochem Cell Biol. 2003 Jun;81(3):151-9. doi: 10.1139/o03-048. Biochem Cell Biol. 2003. PMID: 12897848 Review.
-
Mechanics and imaging of single DNA molecules.J Muscle Res Cell Motil. 2002;23(5-6):367-75. J Muscle Res Cell Motil. 2002. PMID: 12785091 Review.
-
Single-molecule studies of chromatin fibers: a personal report.Arch Histol Cytol. 2002 Dec;65(5):391-403. doi: 10.1679/aohc.65.391. Arch Histol Cytol. 2002. PMID: 12680455 Review.
-
Nucleosome-remodelling machines and other molecular motors observed at the single-molecule level.FEBS J. 2011 Oct;278(19):3596-607. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2011.08280.x. Epub 2011 Sep 8. FEBS J. 2011. PMID: 21810177 Review.
-
Probing Chromatin Structure with Magnetic Tweezers.Methods Mol Biol. 2018;1814:297-323. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8591-3_18. Methods Mol Biol. 2018. PMID: 29956240
Cited by
-
Mechanotransduction Mechanisms for Intraventricular Diastolic Vortex Forces and Myocardial Deformations: Part 2.J Cardiovasc Transl Res. 2015 Jul;8(5):293-318. doi: 10.1007/s12265-015-9630-8. Epub 2015 May 14. J Cardiovasc Transl Res. 2015. PMID: 25971844 Free PMC article.
-
Diastolic filling vortex forces and cardiac adaptations: probing the epigenetic nexus.Hellenic J Cardiol. 2012 Nov-Dec;53(6):458-69. Hellenic J Cardiol. 2012. PMID: 23178429 Free PMC article. Review. No abstract available.
-
Chromatin fiber dynamics under tension and torsion.Int J Mol Sci. 2010 Apr 12;11(4):1557-79. doi: 10.3390/ijms11041557. Int J Mol Sci. 2010. PMID: 20480035 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Toward single-molecule optical mapping of the epigenome.ACS Nano. 2014 Jan 28;8(1):14-26. doi: 10.1021/nn4050694. Epub 2013 Dec 20. ACS Nano. 2014. PMID: 24328256 Free PMC article.
-
Nuclear shape, mechanics, and mechanotransduction.Circ Res. 2008 Jun 6;102(11):1307-18. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.108.173989. Circ Res. 2008. PMID: 18535268 Free PMC article. Review.
References
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources