Magnetic tweezers reveal NIHCOLE DNA repair mechanism

“To observe the DNA repair process, the researchers [at the University of Pittsburgh] developed a novel method called Single Molecule Analysis of DNA-binding proteins from Nuclear Extract (SMADNE) to create fluorescently tagged proteins more efficiently than current methods. This was developed in collaboration with the University of Kent (UK). The researchers utilized SMADNE to extract DNA repair proteins from cell nuclei.  The extracted DNA repair proteins were analyzed using C-trap, an optical tweezer technology that manipulates a single molecule of DNA using a strong light beam to move microscopic beads to either side of a molecule. They studied how and when the DNA repair proteins bind to DNA with different types of damage present.”  MORE

Image Credit:   Biotechniques.com