Confinement-driven organization of a histone-complexed DNA molecule in a dense array of nanoposts. Issue 19 (28th April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Joo, Heesun; Kim, Jun Soo
• Is Part Of: Nanoscale. Volume 9:Issue 19(2017)
• Page Start: 6391
• Page End: 6398
• Publication Date: 2017-04-28
• Subjects: Nanoscience -- Periodicals; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; 620.505
• DOI: 10.1039/c7nr00859g
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2040-3364

Abstract

Abstract : Coarse-grained model simulations suggest confinement-driven organization of histone complexed DNA molecules confined in a dense array of nanoposts. Abstract : The first step in the controlled storage of lengthy DNA molecules is to keep DNA molecules separated while integrated in micrometer-sized space. Herein, we present hybrid Monte Carlo simulations of a histone-complexed DNA (hcDNA) molecule confined in a dense array of nanoposts. Depending on the nanopost dimension, a single, 8.7 kilobase pair hcDNA molecule was either localized and elongated in a single inter-post space surrounded by four nanoposts or spread over several inter-post spaces through passages between two neighboring nanoposts. The conformational change of a hcDNA molecule is interpreted in terms of competitive effects of confinements in the inter-post and passage spaces. We propose that, by elaborately designing nanopost arrays, the competitive confinement effects can be adjusted such that each hcDNA molecule is localized in a single inter-post space, and thereby multiple hcDNA molecules can be physically separated from each other while stored together in the nanopost array.