Spatial confinement induces hairpins in nicked circular DNA.

ABSTRACT: In living cells, DNA is highly confined in space with the help of condensing agents, DNA binding proteins and high levels of supercoiling. Due to challenges associated with experimentally studying DNA under confinement, little is known about the impact of spatial confinement on the local structure of the DNA. Here, we have used well characterized slits of different sizes to collect high resolution atomic force microscopy images of confined circular DNA with the aim of assessing the impact of the spatial confinement on global and local conformational properties of DNA. Our findings, supported by numerical simulations, indicate that confinement imposes a large mechanical stress on the DNA as evidenced by a pronounced anisotropy and tangent-tangent correlation function with respect to non-con

SUBMITTER: Japaridze A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5605231 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature