DNA overwinds when stretched

Jeff Gore, Zev Bryant, Marcelo Nöllmann, Mai U. Le, Nicholas R. Cozzarelli and Carlos Bustamante ()
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Jeff Gore: Department of Physics
Zev Bryant: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Marcelo Nöllmann: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Mai U. Le: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Nicholas R. Cozzarelli: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Carlos Bustamante: Department of Physics

Nature, 2006, vol. 442, issue 7104, 836-839

Abstract: Physical intuition predicts that DNA should unwind under tension as it is pulled towards a denatured structure, but this is not the case. Pulling of a single DNA molecule first leads to overwinding, which causes it to lengthen, not shorten. These results can be explained by a coupling between stretch and twist, such that the DNA inner radius changes under tension.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1038/nature04974

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