Zhu, R;
Howorka, S;
Proll, J;
Kienberger, F;
Preiner, J;
Hesse, J;
Ebner, A;
(2010)
Nanomechanical recognition measurements of individual DNA molecules reveal epigenetic methylation patterns.
NAT NANOTECHNOL
, 5
(11)
pp. 788-791.
10.1038/NNAN0.2010.212.
Abstract
Atomic force microscopy(1) (AFM) is a powerful tool for analysing the shapes of individual molecules and the forces acting on them. AFM-based force spectroscopy provides insights into the structural and energetic dynamics(2-4) of biomolecules by probing the interactions within individual molecules(5,6), or between a surface-bound molecule and a cantilever that carries a complementary binding partner(7-9). Here, we show that an AFM cantilever with an antibody tether can measure the distances between 5-methylcytidine bases in individual DNA strands with a resolution of 4 angstrom, thereby revealing the DNA methylation pattern, which has an important role in the epigenetic control of gene expression. The antibody is able to bind two 5-methylcytidine bases of a surface-immobilized DNA strand, and retracting the cantilever results in a unique rupture signature reflecting the spacing between two tagged bases. This nanomechanical approach might also allow related chemical patterns to be retrieved from biopolymers at the single-molecule level.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Nanomechanical recognition measurements of individual DNA molecules reveal epigenetic methylation patterns |
| DOI: | 10.1038/NNAN0.2010.212 |
| Keywords: | ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY, SINGLE-MOLECULE, OLIGONUCLEOTIDE MICROARRAYS, COMPLEMENTARY STRANDS, REAL-TIME, SPECTROSCOPY, ANTIBODIES, 5-METHYLCYTOSINE, POLYMERASE, PROTEIN |
| UCL classification: | UCL > School of BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > School of BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Chemistry |
| URI: | http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/440922 |
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