| Language: | English |
|---|---|
| Type: | Article |
| Authors: | Eri Shindo, Koji Kubo, Ryosuke L Ohniwa, Kunio Takeyasu and Kenichi Yoshikawa |
| Journal: | Journal of Biotechnology |
| ISSN: | 0168-1656 |
| Volume: | 133 |
| Number: | 2 |
| Month: | 1 |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Actual year: | 2008 |
| Pages: | 172-176 |
| doi: | 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2007.08.026 |
| Abstract: | We developed a novel method for the in situ analysis of the higher-order structure of an individual genome from a single Escherichia coli cell using laser tweezers. Initially, condensed DNA was stably grasped by a laser without any chemical modification and without physical attachment to an artificial object such as micro-plastic beads. Under optical transport, the trapped genome gradually unfolded in solution due to viscous friction. Interestingly, the nucleoid DNA from a log-phase cell is almost fully elongated, whereas in the stationary phase, unfolding of the nucleoid is characterized by step-wise elongation of 1.7-5.1 mu m, corresponding to a size of 5-15 kbp, and a few tightly packed domains remain along the DNA chain. This suggests the coexistence of tightly packed and swollen domains in the genome in the stationary phase. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
Eri Shindo, Koji Kubo, Ryosuke L Ohniwa, Kunio Takeyasu and Kenichi Yoshikawa, Journal of Biotechnology, 133, 172-176 (2008)