Magnetic Torque Tweezers: Measuring Torsional Stiffness in DNA and RecA-DNA Filaments

Overview

Journal Nat Methods

Specialties Biomedical Engineering
Pathology

Date 2010 Oct 19

PMID 20953173

Citations 95

Authors

Jan Lipfert

Jacob W J Kerssemakers

Tessa Jager

Nynke H Dekker

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We introduce magnetic torque tweezers, which enable direct single-molecule measurements of torque. Our measurements of the effective torsional stiffness C of dsDNA indicated a substantial force dependence, with C = approximately 40 nm at low forces up to C = approximately 100 nm at high forces. The initial torsional stiffness of RecA filaments was nearly twofold larger than that for dsDNA, yet at moderate torques further build-up of torsional strain was prevented.

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