Single-molecule force spectroscopy of toehold-mediated strand displacement.

ABSTRACT: Toehold-mediated strand displacement (TMSD) is extensively utilized in dynamic DNA nanotechnology and for a wide range of DNA or RNA-based reaction circuits. Investigation of TMSD kinetics typically relies on bulk fluorescence measurements providing effective, bulk-averaged reaction rates. Information on individual molecules or even base pairs is scarce. In this work, we explore the dynamics of strand displacement processes at the single-molecule level using single-molecule force spectroscopy with a microfluidics-enhanced optical trap supported by state-of-the-art coarse-grained simulations. By applying force, we can trigger and observe TMSD in real-time with microsecond and nanometer resolution. We find TMSD proceeds very rapidly under load with single step times of 1 µs. Tuning invasion

SUBMITTER: Walbrun A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11365964 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature