Dresden 2014 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 13: Posters: DNA/RNA and related enzymes

BP 13.2: Poster

Tuesday, April 1, 2014, 09:30–12:30, P1

Quantitative DNA Overstretching Using Optical Tweezers — Roland Hillmann, André Spiering, Andy Sischka, and •Dario Anselmetti — Experimental Biophysics, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany

We investigated the binding of histonecomplexes to DNA by monitoring the dynamic structure of individual nucleosomes by optical tweezers with single molecule force spectroscopy. 16.4um long biotinylated dsDNA is attached to two streptavidin coated microspheres, one held by a micropipette, as well as the other by the optical trap, respectively. The histones in our experiment contain all of the natural proteins (H2a, H2b, H3, H4) including the linker histone-like protein (H1) to form higher order structures. We observed distinct sawtooth patterns, that can be interpreted as the release of individual nucleosome complexes and will discuss the observed phenomena in the framework of histone complex formation.