Design Of Novel Magnetic Tweezers And Its Use For Studying DNA-Compacting Proteins

ORAL

Abstract

We developed a novel transverse magnetic tweezers that can apply force to single DNA molecules in the horizontal plane. We use a $\lambda $- DNA attached to a 2.8 $\mu $m superparamagnetic bead on both ends. We describe the tweezers in detail and present data validating its performance. We show that using a simple design complemented with image processing techniques, we can reliably measure changes in the DNA's extension suitable for studying the binding of proteins. We conclude with a discussion of our experiments on the binding mechanism of the protein mIHF that plays an important role in the infection pathway of tuberculosis.

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Authors

  • Roberto Fabian

    Physics Department, Vitreous State Laboratory, The Catholic University of America, Washington DC 20064

  • Christopher Tyson

    Biomedical Engineering Department, Vitreous State Laboratory, The Catholic University of America, Washington DC 20064

  • Anneliese Striz

    Biology Department, The Catholic University of America, Washington DC 20064

  • Pamela Tuma

    Biology Department, The Catholic University of America, Washington DC 20064

  • Ian Pegg

    Physics Department, Vitreous State Laboratory, The Catholic University of America, Washington DC 20064

  • Abhijit Sarkar

    Physics Department, Vitreous State Laboratory, The Catholic University of America, Washington DC 20064