ERA NanoSci - Molecular Machines that use structured DNA for directed movement

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Ralf Seidel
• Subject Area: Biophysics ; Theoretical Chemistry: Electronic Structure, Dynamics, Simulation
• Term: from 2009 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 118128451

• Final Report Year: 2013

Final Report Abstract

In this collaborative project a prototype of an on-chip magnetic tweezers was developed that may be used as a dynamic nanotool for use in drug discovery. This nanotool is essentially a nanoactuator that allows to manipulate DNA and attached objects. In our work we could demonstrate that the mechanical manipulation of single DNA hairpins within magnetic tweezers can be used to resolve the binding and the activity of single enzymes on DNA with a resolution of 2-3 base pairs. For this suitable DNA hairpins were fabricated. Additionally, the particle tracking methodology for the magnetic tweezers was significantly redesigned and reworked, such that relative particle position changes of 1 Ǻ can be resolved. The improved methodology was applied to reveal the binding positions and the motor activity of RECQ helicases from Arabidopsis thaliana.

Publications

• Scanning evanescent fields using a point-like light source and a nanomechanical DNA gear. Nano Lett 12(1) 473-478 (2012)
  H Brutzer, FW Schwarz, R Seidel
  
• Fork sensing and strand switching control antagonistic activities of RecQ helicases. Nat Commun 4 2024 (2013)
  D Klaue, D Kobbe, F Kemmerich, A Kozikowska, H Puchta, R Seidel