Fluorescence spectroscopic studies of DNA dynamics
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
Random solvent induced motions of DNA are manifest as nanosecond torsional oscillations of the helix backbone, nanosecond through millisecond bending deformations and overall rotational and translational diffusion of the polymer. Fluorescence spectroscopy is used to study this spectrum of DNA motions while ethidium monoazide was covalently bounded. The steady state fluorescence depolarization data indicate that the covalent monoazide/DNA complex exhibits internal motions characterized by an average angular amplitude of 26 degrees confirming reports of fast torsional oscillations in noncovalent ethidium bromide/DNA systems. Data obtained by use of a new polarized photobleaching recovery technique (FPR) reflect both the rotational dynamics of the polymer and the reversible photochemistry of the dye. To isolate the reorientational motion of the DNA, the FPR experiments were ran in two modes that differ only in the polarization of the bleaching light. A quotient function constructed from the data obtained in these two modes monitors only the rotational component of the FPR recovery. In specific applications those bending deformations of long DNA molecules that have characteristic relaxation times on the order of 100 microseconds have been resolved. A fluorescence correlation technique that relates fluctuations in particle number to center-of-mass motion was used to measure translational diffusion on coefficients of the plasmid PBR322 and a short oligomeric DNA. A theory that describes angular correlation in systems exhibiting cyclic, biologically directed reorientation and random Brownian rotation is developed.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 10150990
- Report Number(s):
- LBL-35489; ON: DE94011915; CNN: Grant GM30781
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: TH: Thesis (Ph.D.); PBD: Apr 1987
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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