0 comments
A team of researchers in the U.K. has announced the creation of a new dance video. And no, it’s not another enthralling TikTok clip. It is, in fact, a simulation of how a DNA loop “dances” as a stressing force is applied to it. And the dance is not only rhythmic, but also a potential way to gain key insights into how DNA interacts with other molecules.
Gizmodoreported on the observation, which stands as the first time researchers have seen DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid, a molecule consisting of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix dance under pressure. (Yes, you should say that like David Bowie in your head.)
Date Time
Intriguing new twist to unfolding story of DNA
Scientists have developed ground-breaking techniques for visualising the stresses and strains placed on tiny twisted DNA circles.
Using advanced atomic force microscope technology and a supercomputer, the research team from the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield, York and the John Innes Centre revealed that twisted DNA can develop kinks and creases that help to package it into compact shapes.
Getting a DNA molecule into a cell involves a process of folding called supercoiling, where the DNA is twisted and looped.
The researchers believe their technique for visualising how DNA can compact so tightly will accelerate the development of new forms of gene therapy where diseases can be prevented or cured by because these very small circles of DNA can squeeze into cells more easily.
Researchers from Sheffield, Leeds and York universities combined advanced atomic microscopy with supercomputer simulations to create videos of the molecules.
Highest-Resolution Images of DNA Reveal It s Surprisingly Jiggly
Gif: A. L. B. Payne et al., 2021/Nature Communications
Scientists have captured the highest-resolution images ever taken of DNA, revealing previously unseen twisting and squirming behaviors.
Advertisement
Deoxyribonucleic acid, otherwise known as DNA, can be surprisingly active when crammed and contorted inside a cell, according to new research published in Nature Communications. These hidden movements were revealed by computer simulations fed with the highest-resolution images ever taken of a single molecule of DNA. The new study is exposing previously unseen behaviors in the self-replicating molecule, and this research could eventually lead to the development of powerful new genetic therapies.