Complex DNA knots detected with a nanopore sensor
Name
s41467-019-12358-4.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
908.03 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
35ed6fcb91b95c275541f8dc609de8de
Author(s)
Doyle, Patrick S.
Date Issued
October 2, 2019
Journal
Nature communications
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Citation
Sharma, Rajesh Kumar et al. "Complex DNA knots detected with a nanopore sensor." Nature communications: 10 (2019): 1038 © 2019 The Author(s)
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Equilibrium knots are common in biological polymers—their prevalence, size distribution, structure, and dynamics have been extensively studied, with implications to fundamental biological processes and DNA sequencing technologies. Nanopore microscopy is a high-throughput single-molecule technique capable of detecting the shape of biopolymers, including DNA knots. Here we demonstrate nanopore sensors that map the equilibrium structure of DNA knots, without spurious knot tightening and sliding. We show the occurrence of both tight and loose knots, reconciling previous contradictory results from different experimental techniques. We evidence the occurrence of two quantitatively different modes of knot translocation through the nanopores, involving very different tension forces. With large statistics, we explore the complex knots and, for the first time, reveal the existence of rare composite knots. We use parametrized complexity, in concert with simulations, to test the theoretical assumptions of the models, further asserting the relevance of nanopores in future investigation of knots.
Subjects
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
General Physics and Astronomy
General Chemistry
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12358-4